THE  LAND 

OF  THE 

(BANGING 

r^ ^p^ 


W.N. 


DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


COLONEL  FLOWERS 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 
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littp://www.arcliive.org/details/landofcliangingsuOOIiarb 


He  raised  the  body  in  his  arms  and  was  about 
to  cast  it  from  him. — Page  184. 


THE  LAND  OF  THE 

CHANGING  SUN 


BY 


WILL.  N.  HARBEN 

AUTHOR  OF   "  WHITE  MARIE,"    "  ALMOST  PERSUADED,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW   YORK 

THE  MERRIAM  COMPANY 

(yj  Fifth  Avenue. 


Copyright,  1894. 
THE  MERRIAM  COMPANY 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  CHANGING  SUN 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  balloon  seemed  scarcely  to  move, 
though  it  was  slowly  smking  toward  the 
ocean  of  white  clouds  which  hung  between 
it  and  the  earth. 

The  two  inmates  of  the  car  were  insen- 
sible ;  their  faces  were  bloodless,  their 
cheeks  sunken.  They  were  both  young 
and  handsome.  Harry  Johnston,  an  Amer- 
ican, was  as  dark  and  sallow  as  a  Spaniard. 
Charles  Thorndyke,  an  English  gentleman, 
had  yellow  hair  and  mustache,  blue  eyes 
and  a  fine  intellectual  face.  Both  were  tall, 
athletic  in  build  and  well-proportioned. 

Johnston  was  the  first  to  come  to  con- 
sciousness as  the  balloon  sank  into  less 
rarefied  atmosphere.  He  opened  his  eyes 
dreamily  and  looked  curiously  at  the  white 
face  of  his  friend  in  his  lap.    Then  he  shook 


41C893 


4  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

him  and  tried  to  call  his  name,  but  his  lips 
made  no  sound.  Drawing  himself  up  a  little 
with  a  hand  on  the  edge  of  the  basket,  he 
reached  for  a  water-jug  and  sprinkled 
Thorndj^ke's  face.  In  a  moment  he  was 
rewarded  by  seeing  the  eyes  of  the  latter 
slowly  open. 

"  Where  are  we  ?  "  asked  Thorndyke  in  a 
whisper. 

"  I  don't  know ; "  Johnston  answered, 
"getting  nearer  to  the  earth,  for  we  can 
breathe  more  easily.  I  can't  remember 
much  after  the  professor  fell  from  the  car. 
My  God,  old  man !  I  shall  never  forget  the 
horror  hi  the  pour  fellow's  eyes  as  he  clung 
to  the  rope  down  there  and  begged  us  to 
save  him.  I  tried  to  get  you  to  look,  but 
you  were  dozing  off.  I  attempted  to  draw 
him  up,  but  the  rope  on  the  edge  of  the 
basket  was  tipping  it,  and  both  you  and  I 
came  near  following  liim.  I  tried  to  keep 
from  seeing  his  horrible  face  as  the  rope 
began  to  slip  through  his  fingers.  I  knew 
the  instant  he  let  go  by  our  shooting  up- 
ward." 

"  I  came  to  myself  and  looked  over  when 
the  basket  tipped,"  replied  the  Englishman, 
"  I  thought  I  was  going  too,  but  I  could  not 
stir  a  muscle  to  prevent  it.     He  said  some- 


/ 


CHANGING   SUN.  5 

thing  desperately,  but  the  wind  blew  it  away 
and  covered  his  face  with  his  beard,  so  that 
I  could  not  see  the  movement  of  his  lips." 

"  It  may  have  been  some  instructions  to 
us  about  the  management  of  the  balloon." 

"I  think  not — perhaps  a  good-bye,  or  a 
message  to  his  wife  and  child.  Poor  fel- 
low!" 

"How  long  have  we  been  out  of  our 
heads  ?  "  and  Johnston  looked  over  the  side 
of  the  car. 

"I  have  not  the  slightest  idea.  Days 
and  nights  may  have  passed  since  he  fell." 

"That  is  true.  I  remember  coming  to 
myself  for  an  instant,  and  it  seemed  that  we 
were  being  jerked  along  at  the  rate  of  a 
gunshot.  My  God,  it  was  awful !  It  was  as 
black  as  condensed  midnight.  I  felt  your 
warm  body  against  me  and  was  glad  I  was 
not  alone.  Then  I  went  off  again,  but  into 
a  sort  of  nightmare.  I  thought  I  was  in 
Hell,  and  that  you  were  with  me,  and  that 
Professor  Helmholtz  was  Satan." 

"  Where  can  we  be  ?  "  asked  Thorndyke. 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  can't  tell  what  is  beneath 
those  clouds.  It  may  be  earth,  sea  or  ocean ; 
we  were  evidently  whisked  along  in  a  storm 
while  we  were  out  of  our  heads.  If  we  are 
above  the  ocean  we  are  lost." 


4lf893 


6  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

Thorndyke  looked  over  the  edge  of  the 
car  long  and  attentively,  then  he  exclaimed 
suddenly : 

"I  believe  it  is  the  ocean." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  " 

"It  reflects  the  sunlight.  It  is  too  bright 
for  land.  When  we  got  above  the  clouds 
at  the  start  it  looked  darker  below  than 
it  does  now ;  we  may  be  over  the  middle  of 
the  Atlantic." 

"We  are  going  down,"  said  Johnston 
gloomily. 

"That  we  are,  and  it  means  something 
serious." 

Johnston  made  no  answer.  Half-an-hour 
went  by.     Thorndyke  looked  at  the  sun. 

"If  the  professor  had  not  dropped  the 
compass,  we  could  find  our  bearings,"  he 
sighed. 

Johnston  pointed  upward.  Thin  clouds 
were  floating  above  them.  "  We  are  almost 
down,"  he  said,  and  as  they  looked  over 
the  sides  of  the  car  they  saw  the  reflection 
of  the  sun  on  the  bosom  of  the  ocean,  and,  a 
moment  later,  they  caught  sight  of  the  blue 
billows  rising  and  falling. 

"I  see  something  that  looks  like  an 
island,"  observed  Thorndyke,  looking  in 
the  direction  toward    which    the    balloon 


CHANGING   SUN.  7 

seemed  to  be  drifting.  "  It  is  dark  and  is 
surrounded  by  light.  It  is  far  away,  but 
we  may  reach  it  if  we  do  not  descend  too 
rapidly." 

"  Throw  out  the  last  bag  of  sand,"  sug- 
gested the  American,  "  we  need  it  as  little 
now  as  we  ever  shall." 

Thorndyke  cut  the  bag  with  his  knife 
and  watched  the  sand  filter  through  the 
bottom  of  the  basket  and  trail  along  in  a 
graceful  stream  behind  the  balloon.  The 
great  flabby  bag  overhead  steadied  itself, 
rose  slightly  and  drifted  on  toward  the 
dark  spot  on  the  vast  expanse  of  sunlit 
water.  They  could  now  clearly  see  that  it 
was  a  small  island,  not  more  than  a  mile  in 
circumference. 

"  How  far  is  it  ?  "  asked  Thorndyke. 

"About  two  miles,"  answered  the  Amer- 
ican laconically,  "  it  is  a  chance  for  us,  but 
a  slim  one." 

The  balloon  gradually  sank.  For  twenty 
minutes  the  car  glided  along  not  more  than 
two  hundred  feet  above  the  waves.  The 
island  was  now  quite  near.  It  was  a  bar- 
ren mound  of  stone,  worn  into  gullies  and 
sharp  precipices  by  the  action  of  the  waves 
and  rain.  Hardly  a  tree  or  a  shrub  was  in 
sight. 


8  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

"  It  looks  like  the  rocky  crown  of  a  great 
stone  mountain  hidden  in  tlie  ocean,"  said 
the  Englishman  ;  "  half  a  mile  to  the  shore, 
a  hundred  feet  to  the  water;  at  this  rate 
of  speed  the  wind  would  smash  us  against 
those  rocks  like  a  couple  of  bird's  eggs 
dropped  from  the  clouds.  We  must  fall 
into  the  water  and  swim  ashore.  There  is 
no  use  trying  to  save  the  balloon." 

"We  had  better  be  about  it,  tlien,"  said 
Johnston,  rising  stiffly  and  holding  to  the 
ropes.  "  If  we  should  go  down  in  tlie  water 
with  the  balloon  we  would  get  tangled  in 
the  ropes  and  get  asphyxiated  witli  tbe  gas. 
We  had  better  hang  down  under  tlie  basket 
and  let  go  at  exactly  the  same  time." 

The  water  was  not  more  than  forty  feet 
beneath,  and  the  island  was  getting  nearer 
every  instant.  The  two  aeronauts  swung 
over  on  opposite  sides  of  the  car  and,  face 
to  face,  hung  by  their  hands  beneath. 

"  I  dread  the  plunge,"  muttered  Thorn- 
dyke  ;  "  I  feel  as  weak  as  a  sick  kitten ;  I 
am  not  sure  that  I  can  swim  that  distance, 
but  the  water  looks  still  enough." 

*'  I  am  played  out  too,"  grunted  the  Amer- 
ican, red  in  the  face ;  "  but  it  looks  like  our 
only  chance.  Ugh  !  she  made  a  big  dip  then. 
We'd  better  let  go.    I'll  count  three,  and 


CHANGING   SFN.  9 

three  is  the  signal.  Now  ready.  One,  two, 
three!" 

Down  shot  the  balloonists  and  up  bounded 
the  great  Uberated  bag  of  gas ;  the  basket 
and  dangling  ropes  swung  wildly  from  side 
to  side.  The  aeronauts  touched  the  water 
feet  foremost  at  the  same  instant,  and  in 
half  a  minute  they  rose,  not  ten  feet  apart. 

"  Now  for  it,"  sputtered  Johnston,  shak- 
ing his  bushy  head  like  a  swimming  dog. 
"  Look,  the  shore  is  not  very  far."  Thorn- 
dyke  was  saving  his  wind,  and  said  nothing, 
but  accommodated  his  stroke  to  that  of  his 
companion,  and  thus  they  breasted  the 
gently-rolling  billows  until  finally,  com- 
pletely exhausted,  they  climbed  up  the 
shelving  rocks  and  lay  down  in  the  warm 
sunshine. 

"Not  a  very  encouraging  outlook,"  said 
Johnston,  rising  when  his  clothing  was  dry 
and  climbing  a  slight  elevation.  "  There  is 
nothing  in  sight  except  a  waste  of  stone. 
Let's  go  up  to  that  point  and  look  around." 

The  ascent  was  exceedingly  trying,  for 
the  incline  was  steep  and  it  was  at  times 
difficult  to  get  a  firm  footing.  But  they 
were  repaid  for  the  exertion,  for  they  had 
reached  the  highest  point  of  the  island  and 
could  see  all  over  it.    As  far  as  their  vision 


10  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

reached  there  was  nothing  beyond  the  little 
island  except  the  glistening  waves  that 
reached  out  till  they  met  the  sky  in  all 
directions.  High  up  in  the  clouds  they  saw 
the  balloon,  now  steadily  drifting  Avith  the 
wind  toward  the  south. 

"  We  might  as  well  be  dead  and  done  with 
it,"  grumbled  Thorndyke.  "  Sliips  are  not 
apt  to  approach  this  isolated  spot,  and  even 
if  they  did,  how  could  we  give  a  signal  of 
distress?" 

Johnston  stroked  his  dark  beard  thought- 
fully, tlien  he  pointed  toward  the  shore. 

"  There  are  some  diiftwood  and  seaweed," 
he  said ;  "  witli  my  sun-glass  I  can  soon 
have  a  bonfire."  He  took  a  piece  of  punk 
from  a  waterproof  box  that  he  carried  in 
his  pocket  and  focussed  the  sun's  rays  on  it. 
"  Run  down  and  bring  me  an  armful  of  dry 
seaweed  and  wood,"  he  added,  hitent  on 
his  work. 

Thorndyke  clambered  down  to  the  shore, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  returned  with  an  arm- 
ful of  fuel.  Johnston  was  blowing  his 
punk  into  a  flame,  and  in  a  moment  had  a 
blazing  fire. 

"  Good,"  approved  the  Englishman,  rub- 
bing his  hands  together  over  the  flames. 
"  We'll  keep  it  burning  and  it  may  do  some 


CHANGING   SUN.  11 

good."  Then  a  smile  of  satisfaction  came 
over  his  face  as  he  began  to  take  some 
clams  from  his  pockets.  "  Plenty  of  these 
fellows  clown  there,  and  they  are  as  fat  and 
juicy  as  can  be.  Hurry  up  and  let's  bake 
them.  I'm  as  hungry  as  a  bear.  There  is 
a  fine  spring  of  fresh  water  below,  too,  so 
we  won't  die  of  thirst." 

They  baked  the  clams  and  ate  them 
heartily,  and  then  went  down  to  the  spring 
near  the  shore.  The  water  was  deliciously 
cool  and  invigorating.  The  sun  sank  into 
the  quiet  ocean  and  night  crept  on.  The 
stars  came  out  slowly,  and  the  moon  rose 
full  and  red  from  the  waves,  adding  its 
beams  to  the  flickering  light  of  the  fire  on 
the  hill-top. 

"  Suppose  we  take  a  walk  all  round  on 
the  beach,"  proposed  the  Englishman ; 
"  there  is  no  telling  what  we  may  find ;  we 
may  run  on  something  that  has  drifted 
ashore  from  some  wrecked  ship." 

Johnston  consented.  They  had  encom- 
passed the  entire  island,  which  was  oval  in 
shape,  and  were  about  to  ascend  to  the  rock 
to  put  fresh  fuel  on  the  fire  before  lying 
down  to  sleep  for  the  night,  when  Thorndyke 
noticed  a  road  that  had  evidently  been  worn 
in  the  rock  by  human  footsteps. 


12  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

"Made  by  feet,"  he  said,  bending  down 
and  looking  closely  at  the  rock  and  raking 
up  a  handful  of  white  sand,  "  but  whether 
the  feet  of  savage  or  civilized  mortal  I  can't 
make  out." 

Johnston  was  a  few  yards  ahead  of  him 
and  stooped  to  pick  up  something  glittering 
in  the  moonlight.  It  was  a  tap  from  the 
heel  of  a  shoe  and  was  of  solid  silver. 

"  Civilized,"  lie  said,  holding  it  out  to  his 
companion  ;  "and  of  the  very  highest  order 
of  civilization.  Whoever  heard  of  people 
rich  enough  to  wear  silver  heel-taps." 

"Are  you  sure  it  is  silver?"  asked  the 
Englishman,  examining  it  closely. 

"  Pure  and  unalloyed ;  see  how  the  stone 
has  cut  into  it,  and  feel  its  weight." 

"You  are  right,  I  l)elieve,"  returned 
Thorndyke,  as  Johnston  put  the  strange 
trophy  into  his  pocket-])Ook,  and  the  two 
adventurers  paused  a  moment  and  looked 
nuitely  into  each  other's  eyes. 

"  We  haven't  the  fauitest  idea  of  where 
we  are,"  said  Johnston,  his  tone  showing 
that  he  was  becoming  more  despondent. 
"  We  don't  know  how  long  we  were  uncon- 
scious in  tlie  balloon,  nor  where  we  were 
taken  in  the  storm.  We  may  now  be  in 
the  very  centre  of  the  North  Polar  seas — 


CHANGING   SUN.  13 

this  knob  may  be  the  very  pivot  on  which 
this  end  of  the  earth  revolves." 

The  Englishman  laughed.  "  No  danger ; 
the  sun  is  too  natural.  From  the  poles  it 
would  look  different." 
"  'i  I  don't  mean  the  old  sun  that  you  read 
so  much  about,  and  that  they  make  so  much 
racket  over  at  home,  but  another  of  which 
we  are  the  original  discoverers — a  sun  that 
isn't  in  old  Sol's  beat  at  all,  but  one  that 
revolves  round  the  earth  from  north  to 
south  and  dips  in  once  a  day  at  the  north 
and  the  south  poles.     See  ?  " 

The  Englishman  laughed  heartily  and 
slapped  his  friend  on  the  shoulder. 

"  I  think  we  are  somewhere  in  the  Atlan- 
tic; but  your  finding  that  heel-tap  does 
puzzle  me." 

"  We  are  going  to  have  an  adventure,  be- 
side which  all  others  of  our  lives  will  pale 
into  insignificance.  I  feel  it  in  my  bones. 
See  how  evenly  this  road  has  been  worn  and 
it  is  leading  toward  the  centre  of  the  island." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  two  adventurers 
came  to  a  point  in  the  road  where  tall  cliffs 
on  either  side  stood  up  perpendicularly.  It 
was  dark  and  cold,  and  but  a  faint  light 
from  the  moon  shone  down  to  them. 

"  I  don't  like  this,"  said  Johnston,  who 


14  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

was  behind  the  Englishman ;  "  we  may  be 
walking  into  the  ambush  of  an  enemy." 

"  Pshaw !  "  and  Thorndyke  plunged  on 
into  the  gloomy  passage.  Presently  the 
walls  began  to  widen  like  a  letter  Y  and  in 
a  great  open  space  they  saw  a  placid  lake 
on  the  bosom  of  which  the  moon  was  shin- 
ing. On  all  sides  the  towering  walls  rose 
for  hundreds  of  feet.  Speechless  with 
wonder  and  with  quickly-beating  hearts 
they  stumbled  forward  over  the  uneven 
road  till  they  reached  the  shore  of  the 
lake.  The  water  was  so  clear  and  still  that 
the  moon  and  stars  were  reflected  in  it  as  if 
in  a  great  mirror. 

"  Look  at  that !  "  exclaimed  Thorndyke, 
pointing  down  into  the  depths,  "  what  can 
that  be  ?  " 

Johnston  followed  Thorndyke's  finger 
with  his  eyes.  At  first  he  thought  that  it 
was  a  comet  movuig  across  the  sky  and 
reflected  in  the  water;  but,  on  glancing 
above,  he  saw  his  mistake.  It  looked,  at 
first,  like  a  great  ball  of  fire  rolling  along 
the  bottom  of  the  lake  with  a  stream  of 
flame  in  its  wake. 


CHANGING  SUN.  15 


CHAPTER  II. 

'  The  two  men  watched  it  for  several 
minutes ;  all  the  time  it  seemed  to  be  grow- 
ing larger  and  brighter  till,  after  a  while, 
they  saw  that  the  light  came  from  some- 
thing shaped  like  a  ship,  sharp  at  both  ends, 
and  covered  with  oval  glass.  As  it  slowly 
rose  to  the  surface  they  saw  that  it  con- 
tained five  or  six  men,  sitting  in  easy 
chairs  and  reclining  on  luxurious  divans. 
One  of  them  sat  at  a  sort  of  pilot- wheel 
and  was  directing  the  course  of  the  strange 
craft,  which  was  moving  as  gracefully  as  a 
great  fish. 

Then  the  young  men  saw  the  man  at  the 
pilot- wheel  raise  his  hand,  and  from  the 
water  came  the  musical  notes  of  a  great  bell. 
The  vessel  stopped,  and  one  of  tlie  men 
sprang  up  and  raised  an  instrument  that 
looked  like  a  telescope  to  his  eyes.  With 
this  he  seemed  to  be  closely  searching  the 
lake  shores,  for  he  did  not  move  for  several 
minutes.    Then  he  lowered  the  instrument, 


16  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

and  when  the  bell  had  rung  again,  the  vessel 
rose  slowly  and  perpendicularly  to  the  sur- 
face and  glided  to  the  shore  within  twenty 
yards  of  where  the  adventurers  stood. 

"  Could  they  have  seen  us  ?  "  whispered 
Thorndyke,  drawing  Johnston  nearer  the 
side  of  the  cliff. 

"  I  think  so ;  at  all  events,  they  are  be- 
tween us  and  the  outlet;  we  may  as  well 
make  the  best  of  it." 

The  men,  all  except  the  pilot,  landed,  and 
a  dazzling  electric  search-light  was  turned 
on  the  spot  where  Thorndyke  and  Johnston 
stood.  For  a  moment  they  were  so  blinded 
that  they  could  not  see,  and  then  they  heard 
footsteps,  and,  their  eyes  becoming  accus- 
tomed to  the  light,  they  found  themselves 
surrounded  by  several  men,  very  strangely 
clad.  They  all  wore  long  cloaks  that  covered 
them  from  head  to  foot  and  every  man  was 
more  than  six  feet  in  height  and  finely-pro- 
portioned. One  of  them,  who  seemed  to  be 
an  officer  in  command,  bowed  politely. 

"I  am  Captain  Tradmos,  gentlemen,  in 
the  king's  service.  It  is  my  duty  to  make 
you  my  prisoners.  I  must  escort  you  to 
the  palace  of  the  king." 

"  That's  cool,"  said  Johnston,  to  conceal 
the  discomfiture  that  he  felt,  "we  had  no 


CHANGING   SUN.  IJ 

idea  that  you  had  a  kingdom.  We  have 
tramped  all  over  this  island,  and  you  are 
the  first  signs  of  humanity  we  have  met." 

He  would  have  recalled  his  words  before 
he  had  finished  speaking,  if  he  could  have 
done  so,  for  he  saw  by  the  manner  of  the 
captain  that  he  had  been  over  bold. 

*'  Follow  me,"  answered  the  officer  curtly, 
and  with  a  motion  of  his  hand  to  his  men 
he  turned  toward  the  odd-looking  vessel. 

The  two  adventurers  obeyed,  and  the 
cloaked  men  fell  in  behind  them.  Neither 
Johnston  nor  Thorndyke  had  ever  seen  any- 
thing like  the  peculiar  boat  that  was  moored 
to  the  rocky  shore.  It  was  about  forty  feet 
in  length,  had  a  hull  shaped  like  a  racing 
yacht,  but  which  was  made  of  black  rubber 
inflated  with  air.  It  was  covered  with  glass, 
save  for  a  doorway  about  six  feet  high  and 
three  feet  wide  in  the  side,  and  looked  like 
a  great  oblong  bubble  floating  on  the  still 
dark  water.  As  they  approached  the  search- 
light was  extinguished,  and  they  were  en- 
abled to  see  the  boat  to  a  better  advant- 
age by  the  aid  of  the  electric  lights  that 
illuminated  the  interior.  It  was  with  feel- 
ings of  awe  that  the  two  adventurers  fol- 
lowed the  captain  across  the  gang-plank  into 

the  vessel. 
2 


18  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

The  electric  light  was  brilliantly  white, 
and  in  various  places  pink,  red  and  light- 
blue  screens  mellowed  it  into  an  artistic 
effect  that  was  very  soothing  to  the  eye. 
The  ceiling  was  hung  with  festoons  of  prisms 
as  brilliant  as  the  purest  diamonds,  and 
in  them,  owing  to  the  gently  undulatory 
movement  of  the  vessel,  colors  more  beau- 
tiful than  those  of  a  rainbow  played  en- 
trancingly.  Rare  pictures  in  frames  of 
delicate  gold  were  interspersed  among  the 
clusters  of  prisms,  and  the  floor  was  cov- 
ered with  carpets  that  felt  as  soft  beneath 
the  foot  as  pillows  of  eider-down. 

As  he  entered  the  door  the  officer  threw 
off  his  gray  cloak,  and  his  men  did  likewise, 
disclosing  to  view  the  finest  uniforms  the 
prisoners  had  ever  seen.  Captain  Tradmos's 
legs  were  clothed  in  tights  of  light-blue 
silk,  and  he  wore  a  blue  sack-coat  of  silk 
plush  and  a  belt  of  pliant  gold,  the  buckles 
of  which  were  ornamented  with  brilliant 
gems.  His  eyes  were  dark  and  penetrating, 
and  his  black  hair  lay  in  glossy  masses  on 
his  shoulders.  He  had  the  head  of  an 
Apollo  and  a  brow  indicative  of  the  highest 
intellect. 

Leaving  his  men  in  the  first  room  that 
they  entered,  he  gracefully  conducted  his 


CHANGING   SUN.  19 

prisoners  through  another  room  to  a  small 
cabin  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  told  them 
to  make  themselves  comfortable  on  the  lux- 
urious couches  that  lined  the  circular  glass 
walls. 

"  Our  journey  will  be  of  considerable 
length,"  he  said,  "  and  as  you  are  no  doubt 
fatigued,  you  had  better  take  all  the  rest  you 
can  get.  I  see  that  you  need  food  and  have 
ordered  a  repast  which  will  refresh  you." 
As  he  concluded  he  touched  a  button  in 
the  wall  and  instantly  a  table,  laden  with 
substantial  food,  rare  delicacies  and  wines, 
rose  through  a  trap-door  in  the  floor.  He 
smiled  at  the  expressions  of  surprise  on 
their  faces  and  touched  a  green  bottle  of 
wine  with  his  white  tapering  hand. 

"  The  greater  part  of  our  journey  will  be 
under  water,  and  our  wines  are  specially 
prepared  to  render  us  capable  of  subsisting 
on  a  rather  limited  quantity  of  air  during 
the  voyage,  so  I  advise  you  to  partake  of 
them  freely  ;  you  will  find  them  very  agree- 
able to  the  taste." 

"  We  are  very  grateful,"  bowed  Thorn- 
dyke,  from  his  seat  on  a  couch.  "  I  am  sure 
no  prisoners  were  ever  more  graciously  or 
royally  entertained.  To  be  your  prisoner  is 
a  pleasure  to  be  remembered." 


20  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

"  Till  our  heads  are  cut  off,  anyway,"  put 
in  the  irrepressible  American. 

Tradmos  smiled  good-humoredly. 

"  I  shall  leave  you  now,"  he  said,  and 
with  a  bow  he  withdrew. 

"  This  is  an  adventure  in  earnest,"  whis- 
pered Johnston ;  "  my  stars  !  what  can  they 
intend  to  do  with  us  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  first  things  will  be  to  take 
us  down  to  the  bottom  of  this  lake  where 
we  saw  them  awhile  ago,  and  I  don't  fancy 
it  at  all ;  what  if  this  blasted  glass-case 
should  burst?  We  may  have  dropped  into 
a  den  of  outlaws  on  a  gigantic  scale,  and  it 
may  be  necessary  to  put  us  out  of  the  way 
to  keep  our  mouths  closed." 

"  I  am  hungry,  and  am  going  to  eat,"  said 
the  American,  drawing  a  cushioned  stool  up 
to  the  table.  "  Here  goes  for  some  of  the 
wine ;  remember,  it  is  a  sort  of  breath- 
restorer.  I  am  curious  enough  not  to  want 
to  collapse  till  I  have  seen  this  thing  through. 
He  said  something  about  a  palace  and  a 
king.     Where  can  we  be  going  ?  " 

"  Down  into  the  centre  of  the  earth,  pos- 
sibly," and  the  handsome  Englishman 
moved  a  stool  to  the  table  and  took  the 
glass  of  green-colored  wine  that  Johnston 
pushed  toward  him.     "  Some  scientists  hold 


CHANGING   SUN.  21 

that  the  earth  is  filled  with  water  instead 
of  fire.  Who  knows  where  this  blamed 
thing  may  not  take  us  ?  Here  is  to  a  safe 
return  from  the  amphibious  land  !  " 

Both  drank  their  wine  simultaneously, 
lowered  their  glasses  at  the  same  instant, 
and  gazed  into  each  other's  eyes. 

"  Did  you  ever  taste  such  liquor?"  asked 
Thorndyke,  "it  seems  to  run  like  streams 
of  fire  through  every  vein  I  have." 

Johnston  shook  his  head  mutely,  and  held 
the  sparkling  effervescing  fluid  between  him 
and  the  li^-ht. 

"  Ugh  !  take  it  down,"  cried  the  English- 
man, "  it  throws  a  green  color  on  your  face 
that  makes  you  look  like  a  corpse."  John- 
ston clinked  the  glass  against  that  of  his 
companion  and  they  drained  the  glasses. 
"Hush,  what  was  that?"  asked  Thorn- 
dyke. 

There  was  a  sound  like  boiling  water  out- 
side and  as  if  air  were  being  pumped  out  of 
some  receptacle,  and  the  Tessel  began  to 
move  up  and  down  in  a  lithe  sort  of  fashion 
and  to  bend  tortuously  from  side  to  side  like 
a  great  sluggish  fish.  Through  the  parti- 
tions of  glass  they  saw  one  of  the  men 
closing  the  door,  and  in  a  moment  the 
vessel  glided  away  from   the   shore.     The 


22  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

men  all  sank  into  easy  positions  on  the 
couches,  and  delightful  music  as  soft  as  an 
^oUan  lyre  seemed  to  be  breathed  from  the 
Walls  and  floor.  Then  the  music  seemed 
to  die  away  and  a  bell  down  in  the  vessel's 
hull  rang. 

"  We  are  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,"  said 
Tlioriidyke,  looking  thrnugli  the  glass 
toward  the  black  cliify  shore;  ''the  next 
thing  will  be  our  descent.     I  wonder " 

But  lie  was  unable  to  proceed,  and  John- 
ston noticed  in  alarm  that  his  eyes  were 
slightly  i)ro(rnding  from  their  sockets.  The 
air  seenu'd  suddenly  to  become  more  com- 
pact as  if  compressed,  and  the  water  was 
set  into  such  violent  commotion  that  it  was 
dashed  against  the  glass  sides  in  billows  as 
white  as  snow.  Then  Johnston  found  that 
he  could  not  breathe  freely,  and  he  under- 
stood the  trouble  of  the  Englishman. 

Captain  Tradmos  came  suddenly  to  the 
door.  He  was  smiling  as  he  motioned  to- 
ward the  wines  on  the  table. 

"  Vou  had  better  drink  more  of  the  wine," 
he  advised  sententiously. 

Both  of  the  captives  rushed  to  the  table. 
The  instant  they  had  swallowed  the  wine 
they  felt  relieved,  but  were  still  weak.  The 
captain    bowed   and    went   away.    Thorn- 


CHANGING   STJN.  23 

dyke's  hand  trembled  as  he  refilled  his 
friend's  glass.  I  thought  I  was  gone  up," 
he  said,  "  I  never  had  such  a  choky  sensa- 
tion in  my  life ;  you  are  still  purple  in  the 
face." 

"  Eat  of  what  is  before  you,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, looking  in  at  the  door ;  "  you  cannot 
stand  the  increasing  pressure  unless  you  do." 

They  needed  no  second  invitation,  for  they 
were  half-famished.  The  fish  and  meat 
were  delicious,  and  the  bread-  was  delight- 
fully sweet. 

"  Look  outside !  "  cried  Johnston.  The 
water  was  now  still,  but  it  was  gradually 
rising  up  the  sides  of  the  boat,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment it  had  closed  over  the  crystal  roof. 
Both  of  the  captives  were  conscious  of  a 
heavy  sensation  in  the  head  and  a  dull 
roaring  in  the  ears.  Down  they  went,  at 
first  slowly  and  then  more  rapidly,  till  it 
seemed  to  them  that  they  had  descended 
over  a  thousand  feet.  Great  monsters  like 
whales  swam  to  tlie  vessel,  as  if  attracted 
by  the  lights,  and  their  massive  bodies  jarred 
against  the  glass  walls  as  they  turned  to 
swim  away.  They  sank  about  five  hundred 
feet  lower  ;  and  all  at  once  the  lights  went 
out,  and  the  boat  gradually  stopped. 

It  was  at  once  so  dark  that  the  two  cap- 


24  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

tives  could  not  see  each  other,  thougli  only 
the  width  of  the  table  separated  them. 
Everything  was  profoundly  still ;  not  a 
sound  came  from  the  men  in  the  other 
rooms.  Presently  Thorndyke  whispered, 
"Look,  do  you  see  that  red  light  over- 
head?" 

"Yes,"  said  Johnston,  "  it  looks  like  a 
star." 

"  It  is  our  bonfire,"  said  Thorndyke,  "  that's 
what  betrayed  us." 

Again  the  vessel  began  to  sink,  and  more 
rapidly  tlian  ever ;  indeed,  as  Thorndyke 
expressed  it,  he  had  tlie  cool  feeling  that 
nervous  people  experience  in  going  down 
quickly  in  an  elevator. 

"  If  we  go  any  lower,"  he  added,  as  the 
great  rubber  hull  seemed  to  struggle  like 
some  living  monster,  "tlie  sides  of  this  thing 
will  collapse  like  an  egg-shell  and  we  will 
be  as  flat  as  pancakes." 

"  You  need  not  fear,  we  have  much  lower 
to  go!"  It  was  the  captain's  voice,  but 
they  could  not  tell  from  whence  it  came. 
Then  they  heard  again  the  seductive  music, 
and  it  was  so  soothing  that  they  soon  fell 
asleep. 

They  had  no  idea  how  long  they  had 
slept,  but  they  were  awakened  by  the  ring- 


CHANGING   SUN.  25 

ing  of  a  bell  iuid  felt  the  vessel  was  coming 
to  a  stop.  They  were  still  far  beneath  the 
surface  ;  indeed,  the  boat  was  resting  on  the 
bottom,  for  in  the  light  of  two  or  three 
powerful  search-lights  they  saw  a  wide  suc- 
cession of  submerged  hills,  vales,  and  rugged 
clili's.  Before  them  was  a  great  mountain- 
side and  in  it  they  saw  the  mouth  of  a 
dark  tunnel.  They  had  scarcely  noticed  it 
before  the  vessel  rose  a  little  and  glided 
toward  the  tunnel  and  entered  it.  Through 
the  glass  walls  they  could  see  that  it  was 
narrow,  and  that  the  ragged  sides  and  roof 
were  barely  far  enough  apart  to  admit 
them. 

Suddenly  one  of  the  men  came  in  and 
drew  a  curtain  down  behind  them,  and, 
with  a  vexed  look  on  his  face  retired. 

When  he  was  gone  Johnston  put  his  lips 
close  to  Thorndyke's  ear  and  whispered  : 

"  Did  you  see  that  ?  " 

"See  what?" 

"Just  as  he  drew  the  curtain  down  I 
saw  what  looked  to  me  like  a  clitf  of  solid 
gold.  It  had  been  dug  out  into  a  cavern 
in  which  I  saw  a  vessel  like  this,  and  men 
in  diving  suits  digging  and  loading  it." 

This  took  the  Englishman's  breath  away 
for  a    moment,   then  he  remarked :  "  That 


26  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

accounts  for  the  heel-tap  we  found;  who 
knows,  these  people  may  be  possessors  of 
the  richest  gold  and  silver  mines  on  earth ." 

The  bell  rang  again.  "  We  are  rising," 
said  Johnston.  "If  this  is  the  only  way  of 
reaching  the  king's  domain,  we  could  never 
get  back  to  civilization  unless  they  release 
us  of  their  own  accord,  that's  certain !  " 

"  Heavens,  isn't  it  still !  "  exclaimed  the 
Englishman.  "  The  machinery  of  this  thing 
moves  as  noiselessly  as  the  backbone  of  an 
eel.    I  wish  I  could  understand  its  works." 

"I  am  more  concerned  about  where  we 
are  going.  I  tell  you  we  are  being  taken  to 
some  wonderful  place.  People  who  can 
construct  such  marvels  of  mechanical  skill 
as  this  boat  will  not  be  behind  in  other 
things  ;  then  look  at  the  physiques  of  those 
giants." 

Just  then  the  man  who  had  drawn  down 
the  shade  came  in.  and  raised  it.  Both  the 
captives  pretended  to  be  uninterested  in  his 
movements,  but  when  he  had  withdrawn 
they  looked  through  the  glass  eagerly. 

"  See,"  whispered  Thorn  dyke,  in  the  ear 
of  his  companion,  "  the  walls  are  close  to  us, 
and  are  as  perpendicular  as  those  of  the 
lake  in  which  they  found  us." 

Johnston  said  nothing.    His  attention  was 


CHANGING   SUN.  27 

riveted  to  the  walls  of  rock ;  the  vessel  was 
rising  rapidly.  An  hour  passed.  The  soft 
music  had  ceased,  and  the  air  seemed  less 
dense  and  fresher.  Then  the  waters  sud- 
denly parted  over  the  roof  and  ran  in  crystal 
streams  down  the  oval  glass. 

They  were  on  the  surface,  and  the  vessel 
was  slowly  gliding  toward  the  shore  which 
could  not  be  seen  owing  to  there  now  being 
no  light  except  that  inside  the  boat.  Cap- 
tain Tradmos  entered,  followed  by  two  of 
his  men  holding  black  silken  bandages. 

"  We  must  blindfold  you,"  he  said  ;  "  cap- 
tives are  not  allowed  to  see  the  entrance  to 
our  kingdom." 

Without  a  word  they  submitted. 

"  This  way,"  said  the  captain  kindly,  and, 
holding  to  an  arm  of  each,  he  piloted  them 
out  of  the  vessel  to  the  shore.  Then  he  led 
them  through  what  they  imagined  to  be  a 
long  stone  corridor  or  arcade  from  the  ring- 
ing echoes  of  their  feet  on  the  stone  pave- 
ment. Presently  they  came  to  what  seemed 
to  be  an  elevator,  for  when  they  had  en- 
tered it  and  sat  down,  they  heard  a  metallic 
door  slide  back  into  its  place,  and  they  de- 
scended quickly. 

They  could  form  no  idea  as  to  the  dis- 
tance   they    went  down ;    but    Thorndyke 


28  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

declared  afterward  that  it  was  over  ten 
thousand  feet.  When  the  elevator  stopped 
Captain  Tradmos  led  them  out,  and  both  of 
the  captives  were  conscious  of  breathing  the 
purest,  most  invigorating  air  they  had  ever 
inhaled.  Instantly  their  strength  returned, 
and  they  felt  remarkably  buoyant  as  they 
were  led  along  over  another  pavement  of 
polished  stone. 

Tradmos  laughed.  "  You  like  the  atmos- 
phere ?  " 

"  I  never  heard  of  anything  like  it,"  said 
Thorndyke.  "It  is  so  delightful  I  can 
almost  taste  it." 

"  It  was  that  which  made  Alpha  what  it 
is — the  most  wonderful  country  in  the  uni- 
verse," said  the  officer.  "  There  is  nuich 
in  store  for  you." 

The  ears  of  the  two  captives  were  greeted 
by  a  vague,  indefinable  hum,  like  and  yet 
unlike  that  of  a  busy  city.  It  was  lil<;e 
many  far-ott"  sounds  carefully  muffled.  Now 
and  then  they  heard  human  voices,  laugh- 
ter, and  singing  in  the  distance,  and  the 
twanging  of  musical  instruments. 

Then  they  knew  that  they  were  entering 
a  building  of  some  sort,  for  they  heard  a 
key  turn  in  a  lock  and  the  humming  sound 
in  the  distance   was   cut  off.     They  felt  :a 


CHANGING   SUN.  29 

soft  carpet  under  their  feet,  and  the  feet 
of  their  guards  no  longer  clinked  on  the 
stones. 

When  the  bandages  were  removed  they 
found  themselves  in  a  sumptuous  chamber, 
alone  with  the  captain.  The  brilliant  light 
from  a  quaintly-shaped  candelabrum,  in  the 
centre  of  the  cliamber,  dazzled  them,  but  in 
a  few  minutes  their  eyes  had  become  accus- 
tomed to  it. 

•  Tradmos  seemed  to  be  enjoying  the  looks 
of  astonishment  on  their  faces  as  they 
glanced  at  tlie  different  objects  in  tlie  room. 

"It  is  niglit,"  he  said  smilingly.  "You 
need  rest  after  your  voyage.  Lie  down  on 
the  beds  and  sleep.  To-morrow  you  will 
be  conducted  to  the  palace  of  the  king." 

With  a  bow  he  withdrew,  and  they  heard 
a  massive  bolt  slide  into  the  socket  of  a 
door  hidden  behind  a  curtain.  The  two 
men  gazed  at  each  other  without  speaking, 
for  a  moment,  and  then  they  began  to  in- 
spect the  room. 

In  alcoves  half- veiled  with  silken  curtains 
stood  statues  in  gold  and  bronze.  The  walls 
and  ceilings  were  decoratedwith  pictures  un- 
like any  they  had  ever  seen.  Before  one, 
the  picture  of  an  angel  flying  through  a  dark, 
star-filled  sky,  they  both  stood  enchanted. 


30  THE   LAND   OF    THE 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Thorndyke,  finding 
voice  finally.  "  It  is  not  done  with  brush 
or  pencil ;  the  features  seem  alive  and, 
by  Jove,  you  can  actually  see  it  breathe. 
Don't  you  see  the  clouds  gliding  by,  and  the 
wings  moving  ?  " 

"  It  is  light — it  is  formed  by  light !  "  de- 
clared the  other  enthusiastically,  and  he  ran 
to  the  wall,  about  six  feet  from  the  picture, 
and  put  his  hand  on  a  square  metal  box. 
screwed  to  the  wall. 

"  I  have  it,"  he  said  quickly,  "  come 
here !  " 

The  Englishman  advanced  curiously  and 
examined  the  box. 

"  Don't  you  see  that  tiny  speck  of  light 
in  the  side  towards  the  picture  ?  Well,  the 
view  is  thrown  from  this  box  on  the  wall, 
and  it  is  the  motion  of  the  powerful  light 
that  gives  apparent  life  to  the  angel.  It  is 
wonderful." 

In  a  commodious  alcove,  in  a  glow  of 
pink  light  from  above,  was  a  life-sized  group 
of  musicians — statues  in  colored  metal  of  a 
Spanish  girl  playing  a  mandora^  an  Italian 
with  a  slender  calascione,  a  Russian  playing 
his  jorbon,  and  an  African  playing  a  banjo.. 
Luxurious  couches  hung  by  spiral  springs 
from  the    ceiling  to    a  convenient  height 


CHANGING   SUN.  31 

from  the  floor,  and  here  and  there  lay  rugs 
of  rare  beauty  and  great  ottomans  of  artis- 
tic designs  and  colors. 

"We  ought  to  go  to  bed,"  proposed 
Thorndyke ;  "  we  shall  have  plenty  of  time 
to  see  this  Aladdin's  land  before  we  get 
away  from  it." 

There  were  two  large  downy  beds  on 
quaintly  wrought  bedsteads  of  brass,  but 
the  two  captives  decided  to  sleep  together. 

Thorndyke  was  the  first  to  awaken.  The 
lights  in  the  candelabrum  were  out,  but  a 
gray  light  came  in  at  the  top  and  bottom  of 
the  window.  He  rose  and  drew  the  heavy 
curtain  of  one  of  the  windows  aside.  He 
shrank  back  in  astonishment. 


THE  LAND   OF  THE 


CHAPTER  III. 

"  Wha*  is  it,  Thorndyke  ?  What  are  you 
looking  at  ?  "  And  the  American  slowly  left 
the  bed  and  approached  his  friend. 

Thorndyke  only  held  the  curtain  further 
back  and  watched  Johnston's  face  as  he 
looked  through  the  wide  plate-glass  win- 
dow. 

"  My  gracious !  "  ejaculated  the  latter  as 
he  drew  nearer  It  was  a  wondrous  scene. 
The  building  in  which  they  were  im- 
prisoned stood  on  a  gentle  hill  clad  in  luxu- 
riant, smoothly-cut  grass  and  ornamented 
Avith  beautiful  flowers  and  plants  ;  and  below 
lay  a  splendid  city — a  city  built  on  undu- 
lathig  ground  with  innumerable  grand 
structures  of  white  marble,  with  turrets, 
domes  and  pinnacles  of  gold.  Wide  streets 
paved  in  polished  stone  and  bordered  with 
lush-green  grass  interspersed  with  statues 
and  beds  and  mounds  of  strange  plants  and 
flowers  stretched  away  in  front  of  them  till 
they  were  lost  in  the  dim,  misty  distance. 


CHANGING  SUN.  33 

Parks  filled  with  pavilions,  pleasure-lakes, 
fountains  and  tortuous  drives  and  walks, 
dotted  the  landscape  in  all  directions. 

Thorndyke's  breath  had  clouded  the  glass 
of  the  window,  and  he  rubbed  it  with  his 
handkerchief.  As  he  did  so  the  sash 
slowly,  and  without  a  particle  of  sound, 
slid  to  one  side,  disclosing  a  narrow  balcony 
outside.  It  had  a  graceful  balustrade,  made 
of  carved  red-and-white  mottled  marble, 
and  on  the  end  of  the  balcony  facing  the 
city  sat  a  great  gold  and  silver  jug,  ten  feet 
high,  of  rare  design.  The  spout  was  formed 
by  the  body  of  a  dragon  with  wings  ex- 
tended; the  handle  was  a  serpent  with  the 
extremity  of  its  tail  coiled  around  the  neck 
of  the  jug. 

The  air  that  came  in  at  the  window  was 
fresh  and  dewy,  and  laden  with  the  most  en- 
trancing odors.  Thorndyke  led  the  way 
out,  treading  very  gently  at  first.  Johnston 
followed  him,  too  much  surprised  to  make 
any  comment.  From  this  position,  their 
view  to  the  left  round  the  corner  of  the 
building  was  widened,  and  new  wonders 
appeared  on  every  hand. 

Over  the  polished  stone  pavements 
strange  vehicles  ran  noiselessly,  as  if  the 
wheels  had  cushioned  tires,  and  the  streets 


34  THE  LAKD   OF   THE 

were  crowded  with  an  active,  strangely- 
clad  populace. 

"  Look  at  that ! "  exclaimed  the  Ameri- 
can, and  from  a  street  corner  they  saw  a 
queer-looking  machine,  carrying  half-a-dozen 
passengers,  rise  like  a  bird  with  wings  out- 
spread and  fly  away  toward  -  the  east. 
They  watched  it  till  it  disappeared  in  the 
distance. 

"  We  are  indeed  in  wonderland,"  said  the 
Englishman ;  "I  can't  make  head  nor  tail  of 
it.  We  were  on  an  isolated  island,  the  Lord, 
only  knows  where,  and  have  suddenly 
been  transported  to  a  new  world  ! " 

"  I  can't  feel  at  all  as  if  we  were  in  the 
world  we  were  born  in,"  returned  Johnston. 
"  I  feel  strange." 

"The  wine,"  suggested  the  Englishman, 
"you  know  it  did  wonders  for  us  in  that 
subwater  thing." 

"  No ;  the  wine  has  nothing  to  do  with 
it.  My  head  never  was  clearer.  The  very 
atmosphere  is  peculiar.  The  air  is  invigor- 
ating, and  I  can't  get  enough  of  it." 

"  That  is  exactly  the  way  I  feel,"  was 
Thorndyke's  answer. 

"  Look  at  the  sunlight,"  went  on  John- 
ston; "it  is  gray  like  our  dawn,  but  see 
how  transparent  it  is.   You  can  look  through 


CHANGING   SUN.  35 

it  for  miles  and  miles.  It  is  becoming  pink 
in  the  east,  the  sun  will  soon  be  up,  and  I 
am  curious  to  see  -it." 

"  It  milst  be  up  now,  but'  we  cannot  see  it 
for  the  hills  and  buildings.  My  goodness, 
see  that ! "  and  the  Englishman  pointed  to 
the  east.  A  flood  of  delicate  pink  light  was 
now  pouring  into  the  vast  body  of  gray  and 
was  slowly  driving  the  more  sombre  color 
toward  the  west.  The  line  of  separation 
was  marked — so  marked,  indeed,  that  it 
seemed  a  vast,  rose-colored  billow  rolling, 
widening  and  sweeping  onward  like  a  swell 
of  the  ocean  shoreward.  On  it  came  rapidly, 
till  the  whole  landscape  was  magically 
changed.  The  flowers,  the  trees,  the  grass, 
the  waters  of  the  lakes,  the  white  buildings, 
the  costumes  of  the  people  in  the  streets, 
even  the  sky,  changed  in  aspect.  The  white 
clouds  looked  like  flre-lit  smoke,  and  far 
toward  the  west  rolled  the  long  line  of  pink 
still  struggling  with  the  gray  and  driving  it 
back. 

The  sun  now  came  into  sight,  a  great 
bleeding  ball  of  fire  slowly  rising  above  the 
gilded  roofs  in  the  distance. 

"  By  Jove,  look  at  our  shadows ! "  ex- 
claimed Johnston,  and  both  men  gazed  at 
the    balcony    floor    in    amazement  j    their 


36  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

shadows  were  as  clearly  defined  and  black 
as  silhouettes.  "How  do  you  account  for 
that  ? "  continued  the  American,  "  I  am 
firmly  convinced  that  this  sun  is  not  the  orb 
that  shines  over  my  native  land." 

Thorndyke  laughed,  but  his  laugh  was 
forced.  "  How  absurd !  and  yet — "  He 
extended  his  hand  over  the  balustrade  into 
the  rosy  glow,  and  without  concluding  his 
remark  held  it  back  into  the  shadow  of 
the  window-casement.  "  By  Jove ! "  he  ex- 
claimed ;  "  there  is  not  a  particle  of  warmth 
in  it.  It  is  exactly  the  same  temperature  in 
the  shade  as  in  the  light."  He  moved  back 
against  the  wall.  "No;  there  is  no  dif- 
ference ;  the  blamed  thing  doesn't  give  out 
any  warmth." 

Johnston's  hands  were  extended  in  the 
light.  "  I  believe  you  are  right,"  he  declared 
in  awe,  "  something  is  wrong." 

At  that  moment  appeared  from  the  room 
behind  them  a  handsome  youth,  attired  in  a 
suit  of  scarlet  silk  that  fitted  his  athletic 
figure  perfectly.  He  rapped  softly  on  the 
window-casement  and  bowed  when  they 
turned. 

"  Your  breakfast  is  waiting  for  you,"  he 
announced.  They  followed  him  into  a  room 
adjoining  the  one  they  had  occupied,  and 


CHANGING    SUN.  37 

found  a  table  holding  a  sumptuous  repast. 
The  boy  gave  them  seats  and  handed  them 
golden  plates  to  eat  upon.  The  fruits,  wine 
and  meats  were  very  appetizing,  and  they 
ate  with  relish. 

"  I  believe  we  are  to  be  conducted  to  the 
palace  of  your  king  to-morrow,"  ventured 
the  Englishman  to  the  boy. 

The  boy  shook  his  head,  but  made  no 
reply,  and  busied  himself  with  removing 
the  dislies.  As  they  were  rising  from  the 
table,  they  heard  footsteps  in  the  hall  out- 
side. The  door  opened.  It  was  Captain 
Tradmos,  and  he  was  accompanied  by  a 
tall,  bearded  man  with  a  leather  case  under 
his  arm. 

"  You  must  undergo  a  medical  examina- 
tion," the  captain  said  smilingly.  "  It  is  our 
invariable  custom,  but  this  is  by  a  special 
order  from  the  king." 

Johnston  shuddered  as  he  looked  at  the 
odd-looking  instruments  the  medical  man 
was  taking  from  the  case,  but  Thorndyke 
watched  his  movements  with  phlegmatic 
indifference.  He  stood  erect;  threw  back 
his  shoulders ;  expanded  his  massive  chest 
and  struck  it  with  his  clenched  fist  in  pan- 
tomimic boastfulness. 

Tradmos  smiled  genially ;  but  there  was 


38  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

something  curt  and  official  in  his  tone  when 
he  next  spoke  that  took  the  Englishman 
slightly  aback.  "You  must  bare  your 
breast  over  your  heart  and  lungs,"  he  said ; 
and  while  Thorndyke  was  unbuttoning  his 
shirt,  he  and  the  medical  man  went  to  the 
door  and  brought  into  the  room  a  great 
golden  bell  hanging  in  a  metallic  frame. 

The  bell  was  so  thin  and  sensitive  to  the 
slightest  jar  or  movement  that,  although  it 
had  been  handled  with  extreme  care,  the 
captives  could  see  that  it  was  vibrating 
considerably,  and  the  room  was  filled  with 
a  low  metallic  sound  that  not  only  affected 
the  ear  of  the  hearer  but  set  every  nerve  to 
tingling.  The  medical  man  stopped  the 
sound  by  laying  his  hand  upon  the  bell.  To 
a  tube  in  the  top  of  the  bell  he  fastened  one 
end  of  a  rubber  pipe;  the  other  end  was 
finished  with  a  silver  device  shaped  like  the 
mouth-piece  of  a  speaking  tube.  This  he 
firmly  pressed  over  the  Englishman's  heart. 
Thorndyke  winced  and  bit  his  lip,  for  the 
strange  thing  took  hold  of  his  flesh  with 
the  tenacity  of  a  powerful  suction-pump. 

*'  Ouch ! "  he  exclaimed  playfully,  but 
Johnston  saw  that  he  had  turned  pale,  and 
that  his  face  was  drawn  as  if  from  pain. 

"  Hold  still ! "  ordered  the  medical  man ; 


CHANGING   SUN.  39 

"it  will  be  over  in  a  minute ;  now,  be  per- 
fectly quiet  and  listen  to  the  bell !  " 

The  Englishman  stood  motionless,  the 
sinews  of  his  neck  drawn  and  knotted,  his 
eyes  starting  from  their  sockets.  Thorndyke 
felt  the  rubber  tube  quiver  suddenly  and 
writhe  with  the  slow  energy  of  a  dying 
snake,  and  then  from  the  quivering  bell 
came  a  low,  gurgling  sound  like  a  stream  of 
water  being  forced  backward  and  forward. 

Tradmos  and  the  medical  man  stepped  to 
the  bell  and  inspected  a  small  dial  on  its 
top. 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  gasped  the  English- 
man, 23urple  in  the  face. 

"The  sound  of  your  blood,"  answered 
Tradmos,  as  he  removed  the  instrument 
from  Thorndyke's  flesh ;  "  it  is  as  regular 
as  mine ;  you  are  very  lucky ;  you  are 
slightly  fatigued,  but  you  will  be  sound  in  a 
day  or  two." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  the  Englishman, 
but  he  sank  into  a  chair,  overcome  with 
weakness. 

"  Now,  I'll  take  you,  please,"  said  the 
medical  man,  motioning  Johnston  to  rise. 

"  I  am  slightly  nervous,"  apologized  the 
latter,  as  he  stood  up  and  awkwardly  fum- 
bled the  buttons  of  his  coat. 


40  THE  LAND  OF  THE 

"  Nervousness  is  a  mental  disease,"  said 
the  man,  with  professional  brusqueness; 
"  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  body  except 
to  dominate  it  at  times.  If  you  pass  your 
examination  you  may  live  to  overcome  it." 

The  American  looked  furtively  at  Thorn- 
dyke,  but  the  head  of  the  Englishman  had 
sunk  on  his  breast  and  lie  seemed  to  be 
asleep.  Johnston  had  never  felt  so  lonely 
and  forsaken  in  his  life.  From  his  child- 
hood he  had  entertained  a  secret  fear  that 
he  had  inherited  heart  disease,  and  like 
Maupassant's  "  Coward,"  who  committed 
suicide  rather  than  meet  a  man  in  a  duel,  he 
had  tried  in  vain  to  get  away  from  the  hor- 
rible, ever-present  thought  by  plunging  into 
perilous  adventures. 

At  that  moment  he  felt  that  he  would 
rather  die  than  know  the  worst  from  the 
uncanny  instrument  that  had  just  tortured 
his  strong  comrade  till  he  was  overcome  with 
exhaustion. 

"  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life,"  he  said 
falteringly,  but  it  seemed  to  him  that  every 
nerve  and  muscle  in  his  frame  was  withering 
through  fear.  Ilis  tongue  felt  clumsy  and 
thick  and  his  knees  were  quivering  as  with 
ague. 

"  Stand    still,"    ordered    the    physician 


CHANGING   SUN.  41 

sternly,  and  Johnston  was  further  humili- 
ated by  having  Tradnios  sympathetically 
catch  hold  of  his  arm  to  steady  him. 

"  Your  people  are  far  advanced  in  the 
sciences,"  went  on  the  physician  coldly, 
"but  there  are  only  a  few  out  of  their 
number  who  know  that  the  mind  governs 
the  body  and  that  fear  is  its  prime  enemy. 
Five  minutes  ago  you  were  eating  heartily 
and  had  your  share  of  physical  strength, 
and  yet  the  mere  thought  that  you  are  now 
to  know  tlie  actual  condition  of  your  most 
vital  organ  has  made  you  as  weak  as  an 
infant.  If  you  kept  up  this  state  of  mind 
for  a  month  it  would  kill  you. 

"  Now  listen,"  he  went  on,  as  the  instru- 
ment griped  Johnston's  flesh  and  the  rubber 
tube  began  to  twist  and  move  as  if  charged 
with  electricity.  Tlie  American  held  his 
breath.  A  sound  as  of  water  being  forced 
through  channels  that  were  choked,  mingled 
with  a  wheezing  sound  like  wind  escaping 
from  a  broken  bellows  came  from  the  bell. 

"  Your  frame  is  all  right,"  said  the  medical 
man,  as  he  released  the  trembling  American, 
"  but  you  h?ve  long  believed  in  the  weak- 
ness of  your  heart  and  it  has,  on  that  ac- 
count, become  so.  You  must  banish  all  fear 
from  your  thoughts.     You  perhaps   know 


42  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

that  we  have  a  place  specially  prepared 
for  those  who  are  not  pliysically  sound.  I 
am  sorry  that  you  do  not  stand  a  better 
exammation." 

Tradmos  regarded  the  American  with  a 
look  of  sympathy  as  he  gave  him  a  chair 
and  then  rang  a  bell  on  the  table.  Thorn- 
dyke  looked  up  sleepily,  as  an  attendant 
entered  with  a  couple  of  parcels,  and 
glanced  wonderingly  at  his  friend's  white 
face  and  bloodshot  eyes. 

"What's  the  matter?"  he  asked;  but 
Johnston  made  no  reply,  for  the  captain 
had  opened  the  parcels  and  taken  out  two 
suits  of  silken  clothing. 

"  Put  them  on,"  he  said,  giving  a  suit  of 
gray  to  Johnston  and  one  of  light  blue  to 
Tliorndyke.  "  We  shall  leave  you  to  change 
your  attire,  and  I  shall  soon  come  for  you." 


CHANGESTG   SUN.  43 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  captain  returned 
and  found  his  prisoners  ready  to  go  with 
liim.  Thorndyke  looked  exceedingly  hand- 
some in  his  glossy  tights,  close-fitting  sack- 
coat,  tinsel  belt  and  low  shoes  with  buckles 
of  gold.  The  natural  color  had  come  back 
into  his  cheeks,  and  he  was  exhilarated  over 
the  prospect  of  further  adventure. 

It  was  not  so,  however,  with  poor  John- 
ston ;  his  spirits  had  been  so  dampened  by 
the  physician's  words  that  he  could  not 
rally  from  his  despondency.  His  suit  fitted 
his  figure  as  well  as  that  of  the  Englishman, 
but  he  could  not  wear  it  with  the  same  hope- 
ful grace. 

"  Cheer  up  !  "  whispered  Thorndyke,  as 
they  followed  the  captain  through  a  long 
corridor,  "  if  we  are  on  our  way  to  the  stake 
or  block  we  are  at  least  going  dressed  hke 
gentlemen." 

Outside  they  found  the  streets  lined  with 
spectators  eagerly  waiting  to  see  them  pass. 


44  THE   LAND    OP   THE 

The  men  all  had  suits  like  those  which  had 
been  given  the  captives,  and  the  women  wore 
flowing  gowns  like  those  of  ancient  Greece. 

"  These  are  the  common  people,"  whis- 
pered Thorndyke  to  Johnston,  "  but  did  you 
ever  dream  of  such  perfect  features^  and 
physiques  ?  Every  face  is  full  of  merriment 
and  good  cheer.  I  am  curious  to  see  the 
royalty." 

Johnston  made  no  reply,  for  Captain 
Tradmos  turned  suddenly  and  faced  them. 

"  Stand  liere  till  I  return,"  he  said,  and 
he  went  back  into  the  house. 

"  Where  in  the  deuce  do  you  think  we 
are?"  pursued  Thorndyke  with  a  grim 
smile. 

"  Haven't  the  slightest  idea,"  sighed  John- 
ston, and  he  shuddered  as  he  looked  down 
the  long  white  street  with  its  borders  of 
human  faces. 

Thorndyke  was  observant. 

"There  is  not  a  breath  of  air  stirring," 
he  said ;  "  and  yet  the  atmosphere  is  like 
impalpable  delicacies  to  a  hungry  man's 
stomach.  Look  at  that  big  tree,  not  a  leaf 
is  moving,  and  yet  every  breath  I  draw  is  as 
fresh  as  if  it  came  from  a  mountain-top. 
Did  you  ever  see  such  flowers  as  those? 
Look  at  that  ocean  of  orchids." 


CHANGING   SUN,  45 

"They  think  we  are  a  regular  monkey- 
show,"  grumbled  the  American.  "Look 
how  the  crowd  is  gaping  and  shoving  and 
fighting  for  places  to  see  us." 

"  It's  your  legs  they  want  to  behold,  old 
fellow.  Do  you  know  I  never  knew  you 
had  such  knotty  knee-joints ;  did  you  ever 
have  rheumatism  ?  I  wish  I  had  'em  ;  they 
wouldn't  put  me  to  death — they  would  make 
me  the  chief  attraction  in  the  royal  museum." 
Thorndyke  concluded  his  jest  with  a  laugh, 
but  the  face  of  his  friend  did  not  brighten. 

"  You  bet  that  medical  examination  meant 
something  serious,"  he  said. 

"  Pooh!  "  and  the  Englishman  slapped  his 
friend  playfully  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Since  I  have  seen  that  vast  crowd  of 
well-developed  people,  and  remember  what 
that  medicine  man  said,  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  that  we  are  going  to  be  separated." 
Poor  Johnston's  lip  was  quivering. 

"  Rubbish !  but  there  comes  the  captain ; 
put  on  a  bold  front;  talk  up  New  York; 
tell  'em  about  Chicago  and  the  Fair,  and 
ask  to  be  allowed  to  ride  in  their  Ferris 
Wheel — if  they  ain't  got  no  wheel,  ask  'em 
when  the  first  train  leaves  town." 

"This  is  no  time  for  jokes,"  growled 
Johnston,  as  Tradmos  returned.    Tradmos 


46  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

motioned  to  something  that  in  the  distance 
looked  like  a  carriage,  but  which  turned 
out  to  be  a  flying  machine.  It  rose  grace- 
fully and  glided  over  the  ground  and  settled 
at  their  feet.  It  was  large  enough  to  seat 
a  dozen  people,  and  there  was  a  little  glass- 
windowed  compartment  at  the  end  in  which 
they  could  see  "the  driver,"  as  he  was 
termed  by  Tradmos.  The  mysterious  ma- 
chinery was  hidden  in  the  woodwork  over- 
head and  beneath. 

"  Get  in,"  said  the  captain,  and  the  door 
flew  open  as  if  of  its  own  accord.  Thorn- 
dyke  went  in  first  and  was  followed  by  the 
moody  American.  "  Let  up  on  the  ague," 
jested  Thorndyke,  nudging  his  friend  with 
his  elbow;  "if  you  keep  on  quivering  like 
that  you  may  shake  the  thing  loose  from  its 
moorings  and  we'd  i\ever  know  what  be- 
came of  us." 

Johnston  scowled,  and  the  officer,  who 
had  overheard  the  remark,  smiled  as  he 
leaned  toward  the  window  and  gave  some 
directions  to  the  man  in  the  other  com- 
partment. 

"You  both  take  it  rather  coolly,"  he 
remarked  to  Thorndyke.  "  I  took  a  man 
and  a  woman  over  this  route  several  years 
ago  and  both  of  them  were  in  a  dead  faint ; 


CHANGING   SUN.  47 

but,  in  fact,  you  have  nothing  to  fear.     We 
never  have  accidents." 

"It  is  as  safe  as  a  balloon,  I  suppose, 
and  we  are  at  home  in  them,"  said  the  Eng- 
lishman, with  just  the  hint  of  a  swagger 
in  his  tone. 

"'But  your  balloons  are  poor,  primitive 
things  at  best,"  returned  Tradmos  in  his 
soft  voice.  "  They  can't  be  compared  to 
this  mode  of  travel,  though,  of  course,  our 
machines  would  not  operate  in  your  atmo- 
sphere." 

"Why  not?"  impulsively  asked  the  En- 
glishman.    "  I  thought " 

But  he  did  not  conclude  his  remark,  for 
they  were  rising,  and  both  he  and  John- 
ston leaned  appreliensively  forward  and 
looked  out  of  one  of  the  windows.  Down 
below  the  long  lines  of  people  were  silently 
waving  their  hats,  scarfs  and  handkerchiefs 
as  the  machine  swept  along  over  their 
heads.  As  they  rose  higher  the  scene 
below  widened  like  a  great  circular  fan,  and 
in  the  delicate  roselight,  the  whole  so  ap- 
pealed  to  Thorndyke's  artistic  sense  that 
he  ejaculated : 

"  Glorious !  Superb !  Transcendent !  "  and 
he  directed  Johnston's  attention  to  the  won- 
derful pinkish  haze  which  lay  over  the  view 


48  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

toward  the  west  like  a  vast  diaphanous  web 
of  rosy  sunbeams. 

"  You  ask  why  our  air-ships  would  not 
operate  in  your  atmosphere,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, showing  pleasure  at  Thorndyke's  en- 
thusiasm. "  It  is  simple  enough  when  you 
have  studied  the  climatic  differences  be- 
tween the  tw^o  countries.  You  have  much 
to  contend  with — the  winds,  for  instance, 
the  heat  and  cold,  etc. ;  this  is  the  only 
known  country  where  the  winds  are  sub- 
jugated. I  have  never  been  in  your  world, 
but  from  what  I  have  heard  of  it  I  am  not 
anxious  to  see  it.  Your  atmosphere  and 
climate  are  so  changeable  and  so  diverse  in 
diiferent  localities  that  I  have  lieard  your 
people  spend  much  of  their  time  in  seeking 
congenial  climes.  I  think  it  was  a  man  who 
came  from  London  that  claimed  he  once 
had  a  cold — 'a  bad  cold,'  I  think  he  called 
it.  It  was  a  standing  joke  in  the  royal 
family  for  a  long  time,  and  he  heard  so 
much  about  it  that  he  tried  to  deny  what  he 
had  said ! " 

Johnston  glanced  at  the  speaker  non- 
plussed, but  the  captain  was  looking  at 
Thorndyke. 

«  Your  climate  is  delightful  here  now,"  said 
the  Englishman ;  "  is  it  so  long  at  a  time  ?  " 


CHANGING   SUN.  49 

"  Perpetually ;  it  is  regulated  every  mo- 
ment, and  every  year  we  perfect  it  in  some 
way." 

"Perfect  it?" 

"  Yes,  of  course,  why  not  ?  If  it  ever  fails 
to  be  up  to  the  usual  high  standard,  it  is 
owing  to  neglect  of  those  in  charge,  and 
neglect  is  punished  severely." 

Thorndyke's  eyes  sought  those  of  the 
American  incredulously.  Seeing  which 
Tradmos  looked  amused. 

"  You  doubt  it,"  he  smiled.  "  Well,  wait 
till  you  have  been  here  longer.  The  fact  is, 
any  one  born  in  our  climate  could  not  live  in 
yours.  The  king  experimented  on  a  man 
who  claimed  to  have  only  one  lung,  but  who 
had  two  sounds  ones  when  he  was  cut  open. 
Well,  the  king  sent  him  to  China,  or  Amer- 
ica, or  some  such  place,  and  he  wheezed 
himself  to  death  in  a  week  by  your  clocks. 
The  weather  was  too  fickle  for  him.  Our 
system  has  been  perfected  to  such  an  extent 
that  we  live  four  lives  to  your  one,  and  our 
fruits  and  vegetables  are  a  hundred  per  cent, 
better  than  those  in  other  countries." 

"  What  is  the  name  of  your  country  ? " 

asked  Thorndyke,  feeling  that  he  was  not 

losing  anything  by  his  boldness. 

"  Alpha." 
4 


50  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

'  "  Where  is  it  located  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know."  Tradmos  looked  out  at 
the  window  for  a  moment  as  if  to  ascertain, 
that  they  were  going  in  the  right  direction, 
then  he  fixed  his  dark  eyes  on  Thorndyke 
and  asked  hesitatingly  : — 

"I  never  thought — I — but  do  you  know 
where  your  country  is  located  ?  " 

"Why,  certainly." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  where  this  one  is. 
We  are  taught  everything,  I  think,  except 
geography."  ISTo thing  more  was  said  for 
several  minutes,  then  an  exclamation  of 
admiration  broke  from  the  Englishman. 
The  color  of  the  sunlight  was  changing. 
From  east  to  west  within  the  entire  arc  of 
their  observation  rolled  an  endless  billpw  of 
lavender  light  leaving  a  placid  sea  of  the 
same  color  behind  it.  On  it  swept^  slowly 
driving  back  the  pink  glow  that  had  been 
over  everything. 

"I  see  you  like  our  sunlight?"  said 
Tradmos,  half  interrogatively. 

"Never  saw  anything  like  it  before." 

"  Yours  is,  I  think,  the  same  color  all  day 
long." 

"Except  on  rainy  days." 

"  Must  be  a  great  bore,  monotonous. — too 
much  sameness.    It  is  white,  is  it  not  ?  " 


CHANGING  SUN.  61 

"  Yes,  rather — between  white  and  yellow, 
I  call  it." 

"  Something  like  our  sixth  hour,  I  sup- 
pose ;  this  is  the  fourth  hour  of  morning. 
Then  come  blue,  yellow,  green,  and  at  noon 
red.  The  afternoon  is  divided  up  in  the 
same  way.  The  first  hour  is  green,  then 
follow  yellow,  blue,  lavender,  rose,  gray  and 
purple.  Yes,  I  should  think  you  would  find 
yours  somewhat  tiresome." 

"  We  can  rely  on  it,"  said  Johnston  speak- 
ing for  the  first  time  and  in  a  wavering 
voice,  "  it  is  always  there." 

"  Doing  business  at  the  old  stand,"  laughed 
Thorndyke,  attempting  an  Americanism. 

"  Well,  that  is  a  comfort,  anyway,"  said 
the  captain  seriously.  "In  my  time  they 
have  had  no  solar  trouble,  but  some  of  the 
old  people  tell  horrible  tales  of  a  period 
when  our  sun  for  several  days  did  not  shine 
at  all." 

■     "  Can  it  be  possible  ?  "  said  the  English- 
man dubiously. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  the  early  settlers  had  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  in  different  ways  ;  but 
I  am  not  at  liberty  to  give  you  information 
on  that  head.  It  is  the  king's  special  pleas- 
ure to  have  new-comers  form  their  own 
impressions,  and  he  is  particularly  fond  of 


52  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

noting  their  surprise,  and,  above  all,  their 
approval.  People  usually  come  here  of  their 
own  accord  through  the  influence  of  our 
secret  force  of  agents  all  over  the  earth,  but 
you  were  brought  because  you  happened  to 
drop  on  our  island  and  would  have  found 
out  too  much  for  our  good,  and  that  red 
light  you  kept  burning  night  and  day 
might  have  given  us  trouble.  There  is  no 
telling  how  long  you  could  have  kept  alive 
on  those  clams." 

"  We  meant  no  offence,"  apologized 
Thorndyke  ;  "  we " 

"  Oh,  I  know  it,  I  was  only  explaining  the 
situation,"  interrupted  the  officer. 

"  What  is  that  bright  spot  to  the  right  ?  " 
asked  Thorndyke,  to  change  the  subject. 

"  The  king's  palace  ;  that  is  the  dome.  We 
shall  soon  be  there.  Now,  T  must  not  talk 
to  you  any  longer.  Somebody  may  be 
watching  us  with  glasses.  I  have  taken  a 
liking  to  you,  and  some  time,  when  I  get 
the  opportunity,  I  shall  give  you  some  use- 
ful advice,  but  I  must  treat  you  very  for- 
mally, at  least  till  you  have  had  audience 
with  the  king." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  Englishman,  and 
Tradmos  stood  up  in  the  car  to  watch  their 
progress  through  the  circular  glass  of  a 


CHANGING   SUN.  53 

little  cupola  on  top.  Thorndyke  smiled 
at  Johnston,  but  the  American  was  in 
no  pleasant  mood.  The  indifference  with 
which  Tradmos  had  treated  him  had  nettled 
him. 

The  machine  was  now  slowly  descending. 
A  vast  pile  of  white  marble,  with  many 
golden  domes  and  spires,  rose  between  them 
and  the  earth  below. 

"To  the  balcony  on  the  central  dome," 
ordered  Tradmos  through  the  window  of 
the  driver's  compartment,  and  the  advent- 
urers felt  the  car  sweep  round  in  a  curve 
that  threw  them  against  each  other,  and  the 
next  moment  they  had  landed  on  a  wide 
iron  balcony  encircling  a  great  golden  cone 
that  towered  hundreds  of  feet  above  them. 


54  THE   LAND  OF   THE 


CHAPTER  V. 

"Follow  me,"  said  the  captain  stiffly, 
for  there  were  several  guards  in  white  and 
gold  uniforms  pacing  to  and  fro  on  the 
battlement-like  walls.  He  led  the  two  ad- 
venturers through  a  door  in  the  base  of  the 
dome.  At  first  they  were  dazed  by  a  brill- 
iant light  from  above,  and  looking  up  they 
beheld  a  marvel  of  kaleidoscopic  colors 
formed  by  a  myriad  of  electric-lighted  prisms 
sloping  gradually  from  the  floor  to  the  apex 
of  the  dome.  Thorndyke  could  compare  it 
to  nothing  but  a  stupendous  diamond,  the 
very  heart  of  which  the  eye  penetrated. 

"  Don't  look  at  it  now,"  advised  Tradmos, 
in  an  undertone ;  "  it  was  constructed  to 
be  seen  from  below,  and  to  light  the  great 
rotunda." 

Mutely  the  captives  obeyed.  At  every 
turn  they  were  greeted  with*  a  new  wonder. 
The  captain  now  led  them  round  a  narrow 
balcony  on  the  inside  of  the  vast  dome,  and, 
looking  over  the  railing  down  below,  they 


CHANGING   SUN.  55 

saw  a  vast  tessellated  pavement  made  of 
polished  stones  of  various  and  brilliant  colors 
and  so  artistically  arranged  tliat,  from  where 
they  stood,  lifelike  pictures  of  landscapes 
seemed  to  rise  to  meet  the  vision  wherever 
the  eye  rested.  Statues  of  white  marble, 
gold  and  bronze  were  placed  here  and  there, 
and,  in  squares  of  living  green,  fountains 
threw  up  streams  of  crystal  water.  Trad- 
mos  paused  for  them  to  look  down  and 
smiled  at  their  evident  admiration. 

"How  far  is  it  down  there?"  Thorndyke 
ventured  to  ask. 

"  Over  a  thousand  feet,"  replied  Trad- 
mos.  "  Look  across  opposite  and  you  will 
see  that  there  are  fifty  floors  beneath  us, 
and  each  floor  has-  a  balcony  like  this  over- 
looking the  court." 

"  What  is  the  sound  that  comes  up  from 
below?"  asked  the  Englishman. 

"  It  is  the  voices  of  the  people  and  their 
footsteps  on  the  stone." 

"What  people?" 

"Don't  you  see  them?  Your  eyes  are 
dazzled  by  the  light ;  I  ought  to  have  warned 
you  against  looking  up  into  the  dome. 
The  people  are  down  there ;  do  the  views 
in  the  pavement  not  look  a  little  blurred  ?  " 

"  Yes." 


56  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

"  Well,  if  you  will  look  more  closely  you 
will  see  that  it  is  a  multitude  of  people." 

"  Great  heavens  !  "  exclaimed  the  EngUsh- 
man,  and  he  became  deeply  absorbed  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  rarest  sight  he  had 
ever  seen.  As  he  looked  closely  he  noticed 
a  black  spot  growing  larger  and  nearer,  and 
he  glanced  inquiringly  at  the  captain. 

"  It  is  an  elevator.  Tliere  are  a  great 
many  of  them  used  in  the  palace,  but  none 
liave  happened  to  rise  as  high  as  this  since 
we  came.  The  one  you  see  is  coming  for 
us."  The  next  moment  the  strange  vehicle 
was  floating  toward  them.  The  captain 
opened  the  door  and  preceded  the  captives 
into  the  interior. 

"The  royal  audience  chamber,"  lie  said, 
carelessly,  to  the  driver  behind  the  glass  of 
the  adjoining  compartment,  and  down  they 
floated  as  lightly  as  a  bubble — down  past 
balcony  after  balcony,  laden  with  moving 
throngs,  until  they  alighted  in  a  great  con- 
servatory. 

Near  them  was  a  tall  fountain  the  water 
of  which  was  playing  weird  nmsic  on  great 
bells  of  glass,  some  of  which  hung  in  the 
fountain's  stream  and  others  rose  and  fell, 
giving  forth  strange,  submerged  tones  in 
the  foaming  basin. 


CHANGING   SUN.  57 

"It  is  a  new  invention  recently  placed 
here  by  the  king's  son  who  is  a  musical 
genius,"  explained  Tradmos.  "  You  will  be 
astonished  at  some  of  his  inventions." 

He  led  theni,  as  if  to  avoid  the  grent 
crowds  that  they  could  now  hear  on  all 
sides,  down  a  long  vista  of  palms,  the  bran- 
ches of  Avhich  met  over  their  heads,  to  the 
wide  door  of  the  audience  chamber.  A  party 
of  men  dressed  in  uniforms  of  white  silk 
with  gold  and  silver  ornaments  bowed  be- 
fore the  captain  and  made  way  for  him. 

The  captives  now  found  themselves  in  the 
most  splendid  and  spacious  room  they  had 
ever  seen,  at  the  far  end  of  which  was  a 
long  dais  and  on  it  an  elaborate  throne. 

"I  shall  be  obliged  to  leave  you  when  the 
king  comes,"  said  Tradmos  to  Thorndyke, 
"  but  I  shall  hope  to  see  you  again.  Don't 
forget  my  name  and  rank,  for  I  may  send 
you  a  message  some  time  that  may  aid 
you." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  the  Englishman, 
and  then  as  a  throng  of  beautiful  young 
women  came  from  a  room  on  the  side  and 
gathered  about  the  throne  he  added  inquisi- 
tively :     "  Who  are  they  ?  " 

"  The  wives  and  daughters  of  the  king  and 
the  wives  of  the  princes,"  was  the  cautious 


58  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

answer,  "  but  don't  look  at  any  one  of  them 
closely." 

*'  I  don't  see  how  a  fellow  can  help  it ; 
they  are  ravishingly  beautiful,  don't  you 
think  so,  Johnston  ?  " 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,"  snapped  the  American, 
"don't  you  know  enough  to  hold  your 
tongue." 

Tradmos  smiled  as  if  amused,  and  when 
he  had  shown  them  to  seats  near  the  great 
golden  throne,  he  said : 

"  Stay  where  you  are  till  the  king  sends 
for  you,  and  then  go  and  kneel  before  the 
throne.     Do  not  rise  till  he  bids  you." 

The  captives  thanked  him  and  the  captain 
turned  away.  The  eyes  of  all  the  royal  party 
now  rested  on  the  strangers,  and  it  was  hard 
for  them  to  appear  unconscious  of  it.  A 
great  crowd  was  slowly  filling  the  room  and 
an  orchestra  in  a  balcony  on  the  left  of  the 
dais  began  to  make  delightful  music  on 
instruments  the  strangers  had  never  before 
seen.  After  an  entrancing  prelude  a  sound 
of  singing  was  heard,  and  far  up  in  a 
grand  dome,  lighted  like  the  one  the  cap- 
tives had  just  admired  over  the  central 
court  of  the  palace,  they  saw  a  bevy  of  maid- 
ens, robed  in  white,  moving  about  in  mid- 
air, apparently  unsupported  by  anything. 


CHANGING   SUN.  59 

"How  on  earth  is  that  done?"  asked 
Thorndyke. 

"  I  don't  know,"  returned  Johnston,  speak- 
ing more  freely  now  that  the  captain  had 
gone.     "  I  am  not  surprised  at  anything." 

"  Their  voices  are  exquisite,  and  that 
orchestra  —  a  Boston  symphony  concert 
couldn't  be  compared  to  it." 

"  There  goes  the  sunlight  again,"  cried 
Johnston,  "  by  Jove,  it  is  blue  !  " 

The  transition  was  sublime.  Thej^  seemed 
transported  to  some  other  scene.  The  great 
multitude,  the  elegantly-dressed  attendants 
about  the  throne,  the  courtiers,  the  beauti- 
ful women,  all  seemed  to  change  in  appear- 
ance ;  on  the  view  through  the  wide  doors 
leading  to  the  conservatory,  and  the  great 
swarming  court  beyond,  the  soft  blue  light 
fell  like  a  filmy  veil  of  enchantment. 

"  Wonderful !  "  exclaimed  the  American. 

"  It  is  ahead  of  our  clocks,  anyway,"  jest- 
ed Thorndyke.  "Any  child  that  can  count 
on  its  fingers  could  tell  that  this  is  the  fifth 
hour  of  the  day." 

The  music  grew  louder ;  there  was  a  har- 
monious blare  of  mighty  trumpets,  the  clang 
of  gongs  and  cymbals,  and  then  the  music 
softened  till  it  could  scarcely  be  heard. 
There  was  commotion  about  the  throne. 


60  THE  LAND  OF  THE 

The  king  was  coming.  Every  person  on 
the  dais  stood  motionless,  expectant.  A 
page  drew  aside  the  rich  curtain  from  a 
door  on  the  right,  and  an  old  man,  wearing  a 
robe  of  scarlet  ornamented  with  jewels  and 
a  crown  set  with  sparkling  gems,  entered 
and  seated  himself  on  the  throne.  The 
music  sank  lower;  so  soft  did  it  become 
that  the  tinkling  bells  of  the  great  fountain 
outside  could  be  heard  throughout  the  room. 

The  king  bowed  to  the  throng  on  the  dais 
and  spoke  a  few  words  to  a  courtier  who 
advanced  as  he  sat  down.  The  courtier 
mtist  have  spoken  of  them,  for  the  king  at 
once  looked  down  at  Johnston  and  Thorn- 
dyke  and  nodded  his  head.  The  courtier 
spoke  to  a  page,  and  the  youth  left  the  dais 
and  came  toward  the  captives. 

"  We  are  in  for  it,"  cautioned  Thorndyke, 
"  now  don't  be  afraid  of  your  shadow ;  we'll 
come  out  all  right." 

"The  king  has  sent  for  you,"  said  the 
page,  the  next  instant.     "  Go  to  the  throne." 

They  were  the  cynosure  of  the  entire 
room  as  they  went  up  the  carpeted  steps 
of  the  dais  and  knelt  before  the  king. 


CHANGING   SUN.  61 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  Rise  !  "  commanded  the  king,  in  a  deep, 
well-modulated  voice,  and  when  they  had 
arisen  he  inspected  them  critically,  his  eyes 
lingering  on  Thorndyke. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  take  life  easily ;  you 
have  a  jovial  countenance,"  he  said  cordially. 

Thorndyke  returned  his  smile  and  at 
once  felt  at  ease. 

"  There  is  no  use  in  taking  it  any  other 
way,"   he   said;    "it    doesn't   amount    to 
much  at  best." 

«  You  are  wrong,"  returned  the  king,  play- 
ing with  the  jewels  on  his  robe,  "that  is 
because  you  have  been  reared  as  you  have 
— in  your  unsystematic  world.  Here  we 
make  life  a  serious  study.  It  is  our  object 
to  assist  nature  in  all  things.  The  efforts  of 
your  people  amount  to  nothing  because  they 
are  not  carried  far  enough.  Your  scientists 
are  dreaming  idiots.  They  are  continually 
groping  after  the  ideal  and  doing  nothing 
with  the  positive.    It  was  for  us  to  carry 


62  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

out  overything  to  perfection.  Show  me 
where  we  can  make  a  single  improvement 
and  you  shall  become  a  prince." 

"  If  my  life  depended  on  that,  my  head 
would  be  off  this  instant,"  was  the  quick- 
witted reply  of  the  Englishman. 

This  so  pleased  the  king  that  he  laughed 
till  he  shook.  "  Well  said,"  he  smiled  ;  "  so 
you  like  our  country  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  charmed  ;  my  friend  (Thorn- 
dyke  was  determined  to  bring  his  compan- 
ion into  favor,  if  possible)  and  I  have  been 
in  raptures  ever  since  we  rose  this  morning." 

A  flush  of  pleasure  crossed  the  face  of  the 
king.  "You  have  not  seen  half  of  our 
wonders  yet.  I  confess  that  I  am  pleased 
with  you,  sir.  The  majority  of  people  who 
are  brought  here  are  so  frightened  that  they 
grow  morbid  and  desirous  to  return  to  their 
own  countries  as  soon  as  they  learn  that 
such  a  thing  is  out  of  the  question." 

Thorndyke's  stout  heart  suffered  a  sud- 
den pang  at  the  words,  but  he  did  not  change 
countenance  in  the  slightest,  for  the  king 
was  closely  watching  the  effect  of  his  an- 
nouncement. 

"  Of  course,"  went  on  the  ruler,  gratified 
by  the  indifference  of  the  Englishman,  "  of 
course,  it  could  not  be  done.    No  one,  out- 


CHANGING   SUN.  63 

side  of  a  few  of  the  royal  family  and  our 
trusted  agents,  has  ever  left  us." 

"  I  can't  see  how  any  one  could  be  so  un- 
appreciative  as  to  want  to  go,"  answered 
Thorndyke,  Avith  a  coolness  that  surprised 
even  Johnston.  "  I  have  travelled  in  all 
countries  under  the  sun — the  sun  I  was  born 
under — and  got  so  bored  with  them  that 
my  friend  and  myself  took  to  ballooning 
for  diversion ;  but  here,  there  is  a  delight- 
ful surprise  at  every  turn." 

"  I  was  told  you  were  aeronauts,"  re- 
turned the  ruler,  deigning  to  cast  a  glance 
at  the  silent  Johnston,  who  stood  with  eyes 
downcast,  "  and  I  confess  that  it  interested 
me  in  you." 

At  that  juncture  a  most  beautiful  girl 
glided  through  the  curtains  at  the  back  of 
the  throne  and  came  impulsively  toward  the 
king.  Her  brown  hair  fell  in  rich  masses 
on  her  bare  shoulders ;  her  eyes  were  large, 
deep  and  brown,  and  her  skin  was  exqui- 
sitely fine  in  texture  and  color ;  her  dress 
was  artistic  and  well  suited  to  her  lithe 
figure.  She  held  an  instrument  resembling 
a  lute  in  her  hands,  and  sto]3ped  suddenly 
when  she  noticed  that  the  king  was  engaged. 

"  It  is  my  daughter,  the  Princess  Bernar- 
dino," explained  the  king,  as  he  heard  her 


64  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

light  step  and  turned  toward  her;  "she 
shall  sing  for  you,  and,  yes  (nodding  to 
her)  you  shall  dance  also." 

As  she  took  her  position  on  a  great  rug  in 
front  of  the  throne,  she  kept  her  eyes  on  the 
handsome  Englishman  as  if  fascinated  by 
his  appearance.  Thorndyke's  heart  beat 
quickly;  the  blood  mantled  his  face  and 
he  stood  entranced  as  she  touched  the  reson- 
ant strings  with  her  white  fingers  and  be 
gan  to  play  and  sing.  An  innocent,  artless 
smile  parted  her  lips  from  her  matchless 
teeth,  and  her  face  glowed  with  inspiration. 
Far  above  in  the  nooks  and  crannies  of  the 
vast  dome,  with  its  divergent  corridors  and 
arcades,  the  faint  echoes  of  her  voice  seemed 
to  reply  to  her  during  the  pauses  in  her 
song.  Then  she  ceased  singing  and  to  the 
far-away  and  yet  distinct  accompaniment 
of  some  stringed  instrument  in  the  orches- 
tra, she  began  to  dance.  Holding  her  in- 
strument in  a  graceful  fashion  against  her 
shoulder  as  one  holds  a  violin,  and  with  her 
flowing  white  gown  caught  in  the  other  hand, 
she  bowed  and  smiled  and  instantly  seemed 
transformed.  From  the  statuesque  and 
dreamy  singer  she  became  a  marvel  of 
graceful  motion.  To  and  fro  she  swept 
from  end  to  end  of  the  great  rug,  her  tiny 


CHANGING   SUN.  65 

feet  and  slim  ankles  tripping  so  lightly  that 
she  seemed  to  move  without  support  through 
the  air. 

Thorndyke  stood  as  if  spell-bound,  for,  at 
every  turn,  as  if  seeking  his  approval,  she 
glanced  at  him  inquiringly.  When  she 
finished  she  stood  for  a  moment  in  the 
centre  of  the  rug  panting,  her  beautiful 
bosom,  beneath  its  filmy  covering  of  lace, 
gently  rising  and  falling.  Then,  asking  her 
father's  consent  with  a  mute  glance,  she  ran 
forward  impulsively,  and,  kneeling  at  Thorn- 
dyke's  feet,  she  took  his  hand  and  pressed 
it  to  her  lips.  And  rising,  suffused  with 
blushes,  she  tripped  from  the  dais  and  dis- 
appeared behind  the  curtain. 

The  king  frowned  as  he  looked  after  her. 
"  It  is  a  mark  of  preference,"  he  said  coldly. 
"It  is  one  of  our  customs  for  a  dancer  or 
singer  to  favor  some  One  of  her  spectators 
in  that  way.  My  daughter  evidently  mis- 
took you  for  an  ambassador  from  one  of  my 
provinces,  but  it  does  not  matter." 

"  She  is  wonderfully  beautiful,"  replied 
the  tactful  Englishman,  pretending  not  to  be 
flattered  by  the  notice  of  the  princess. 

"Do  you  think  our  people  fine  looking 
as  a  rule  ?  "  asked  the  king,  to  change  the 
subject. 
5 


66  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

"  Decidedly ;  I  never  imagined  such  a  race 
existed." 

Again  the  king  was  pleased.  "  That  is  one 
of  the  objects  of  our  system.  Generation 
after  generation  we  improve  mentally  and 
physically.  We  are  the  only  people  who 
have  ever  attempted  to  thoroughly  study  the 
science  of  living.  Your  medical  men  may 
be  numbered  by  the  million  ;  your  remedies 
for  your  ills  change  daily ;  what  you  say  is 
good  for  the  health  to-day  is  to-morrow^ 
believed  to  be  poison ;  to-day  you  try  to 
make  blood  to  give  strength,  and  half  a 
century  ago  you  believed  in  taking  it  from 
the  weakest  of  your  patients.  AVith  all  this 
fuss  over  health,  you  will  think  nothing  of 
allowing  the  son  of  a  man  who  died  with  a 
loathsome  hereditary  disease  to  marry  a 
woman  whose  family  has  never  had  a  taint 
of  blood.  Here  no  such  thing  is  thought  of. 
To  begin  with,  no  person  who  is  not 
thoroughly  sound  can  remam  with  us. 
Every  heart-beat  is  heard  by  our  medical 
men  and  every  vein  is  transparent.  You  see 
evidences  of  the  benefit  of  our  system  in  the 
men  and  women  around  you.  All  our  con- 
veniences, the  excellence  of  our  products, 
our  great  inventions  are  the  result." 

"I  have  been  wondering  about  the  size 


CHANGING    SUN.  67 

of  your  country,"  ventured  Thorndyke  cau- 
tiously. 

The  king  smiled.  "  That  will  be  one  of 
the  things  for  you  to  discover  later,"  he  re- 
turned. "  But  this,  the  City  of  Moron,  is 
the  capital ;  our  provinces,  farming  lands, 
smaller  cities,  towns  and  hamlets  lie  around 
us.  Come  with  me  and  I  will  show  you 
something." 

He  waved  his  hand  and  dismissed  a 
number  of  courtiers  who  were  waiting  to  be 
called,  and  rose  from  the  throne  and  led 
the  two  captives  into  a  large  apartment  ad- 
joining the  throne-room.  Here  they  found 
six  men  in  blue  uniforms  looking  into  a 
large  circular  mirror  on  a  table.  They  all 
bowed  and  moved  aside  as  the  king  ap- 
proached. 

"  These  men  are  the  municipal  police," 
explained  the  king,  resting  his  hand  on  the 
gold  frame  of  the  glass  ;  "  they  are  watching 
the  city."  And  when  the  strangers  drew 
nearer  they  were  surprised  to  see  reflected, 
in  the  deeply  concave  glass,  the  entire  city 
in  miniature;  its  streets,  parks,  public 
buildings,  and  moving  populace.  And  what 
.seemed  to  be  the  most  remarkable  feature 
of  the  invention  was,  that  the  instant  the 
eye  rested  on  any  particular  portion  of  the 


68  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

whole  that  part  was  at  once  magnified  so 
that  every  detail  of  it  was  clearly  observ- 
able. 

"  This  is  an  improvement  on  yonr  police 
system,"  continued  the  king.  "  No  sooner 
does  anything  go  wrong  than  a  red  signal 
is  given  on  the  spot  of  the  trouble  and  the 
attention  of  these  officers  is  immediately 
called  to  it.  A  flying  machine  is  sent  out 
and  the  offender  is  brought  to  the  police 
station;  but  trouble  of  any  nature  rarely 
occurs,  and  the  duties  of  our  police  are  mere- 
ly nominal ;  my  people  live  in  thorough  har- 
mony. Now,  come  with  me  and  I  will  give 
you  an  idea  of  the  surrounding  country." 

As  the  king  spoke  he  led  them  into  a  cir- 
cular room,  the  roof  of  which  was  of  white 
glass,  and  the  walls  were  lined  with  large 
mirrors. 

*'  This  is  our  general  observatory  from 
which  every  part  of  Alpha  can  be  seen," 
said  the  king  with  a  touch  of  pride  in  his 
tone.     "  Look  at  the  mirror  in  front  of  you." 

They  did  as  he  requested,  and  at  first  saw 
nothing ;  but,  as  he  went  to  a  stone  table  in 
the  centre  of  the  room  and  touched  an 
electric  button,  a  grand  view  of  green  fields, 
forests,  streams,  lakes  and  farm-houses 
flashed  upon  the  mirror.     The  king  laughed 


CHANGING   SUN.  69 

at  their  surprise  and  touched  another  but- 
ton. As  he  did  so  the  scene  shifted  gradu- 
ally ;  the  landscapes  ran  by  like  a  panorama. 
A  pretty  village  came  into  sight,  and  passed ; 
then  a  larger  town  and  still  a  larger ;  then 
fields,  hills  and  valleys  and  forests  of  giant 
trees. 

"  It  is  that  way  all  over  my  kingdom," 
said  the  king  ;  « in  an  hour  I  can  inspect  it 
all." 

"  But  how  is  it  done  ?"  asked  Thorndyke, 
forgetting  himself  in  wonder. 

"  Through  a  telescopic  invention,  aided  by 
electricity  and  the  clearness  of  our  atmos- 
phere," replied  the  king.  "It  would  take 
too  long  to  go  into  the  details.  The  views, 
however,  are  reflected  to  this  point  from 
various  observatories  throughout  the  land. 
Such  a  system  would  be  impossible  in  any 
other  country  on  account  of  the  clouds  and 
atmospheric  changes ;  but  here  we  control 
everything." 

"I  noticed,"  returned  the  Englishman, 
"  that  green  fields  lie  beside  ripening  ones 
and  those  in  which  the  grain  is  being  har- 
vested." 

*'  We  have  no  change  of  seasons, " 
answered  the  king.  "Change  of  seasons 
may  be  according  to  nature,  but  it  is  in  the 


70  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

province  of  man's  intellect  to  improve  on 
nature.  But  I  must  leave  you  now ;  I  shall 
summon  you  again  when  I  have  the  leisure 
to  continue  our  conversation." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  asked 
Johnston,  as  the  king  disappeared  behind  a 
curtain  in  the  direction  of  the  audience 
chamber. 

"  I  give  it  up  ;  I  only  know  that  the  old 
fellow's  daughter,  the  Princess  Ber- Bernar- 
dino is  the  most  beautiful,  the  most  be- 
witching creature  that  ever  breathed.  Did 
you  notice  her  eyes  and  form  ?  Great 
heavens  !  was  there  ever  such  a  vision  of 
human  loveliness?  Her  grace,  her  voice, 
her  glances  drove  me  wild  with  delight." 

"  You  are  dead  gone,"  grumbled  the 
American  despondently ;  "  we'll  never  get 
away  from  here  in  the  world.  1  can  see 
that." 

"I  gp.ve  up  all  hope  in  that  direction 
some  time  ago,"  said  Thorndyke ;  "  and  why 
should  we  care  ?  We  were  awfully  bored 
with  life  before  we  came ;  for  my  part  I'd 
as  soon  end  mine  up  here  as  anywhere  else. 
Besides,  didn't  his  majesty  say  that  they 
live  longer  under  his .  system  than  we  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  take  stock  in  all  he  says,"  growled 
the  American;  "he  talks  like  a  Chicago  real- 


CHANGING   SUN.  71 

estate  agent  who  wants  to  sell  a  lot.  Why 
doesn't  he  chop  off  our  heads  and  be  done 
with  it  ?  " 

Thorndyke  burst  into  a  jovial  laugh. 
"  You  are  coming  round  all  right ;  that  is 
the  first  joke  you  have  got  off  since  we 
came  here ;  his  royal  Nibs  may  need  a  court- 
jester  and  give  you  a  job." 

"  There  goes  that  blamed  sunlight  again," 
exclaimed  Johnston,  grasping  his  compan- 
ion's arm,  "  don't  you  see  it  changing  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  this  time  it  is  white,  like  old 
Sol's  natural  smile ;  but  isn't  it  clear  ?  It 
seems  to  me  that  I  could  see  to  the  end  of 
the  earth  in  that  light.  I  want  to  know 
how  he  does  it." 

"  How  who  does  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  king,  of  course,  it  is  his  work 
— some  sort  of  invention ;  but  we  must  keep 
civil  tongues  in  our  heads  when  we  are  deal- 
ing with  a  man  who  can  color  the  very  light 
of  the  sun." 

They  were  walking  back  toward  the  great 
rotunda,  and,  as  they  entered  the  conserva- 
tory, the  crowds  of  men  and  women  stared 
at  them  curiously.  They  had  paused  to 
inspect  the  statue  of  a  massive  stone  dragon 
when  a  young  officer  in  glittering  uniform 
approached  and  addressed  Johnston. 


72  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

"  Follow  me,"  he  said  simply  ;  "  it  is  the 
king's  command." 

The  American  started  and  looked  at 
Thorndyke  apprehensively. 

"  Go,"  said  the  latter  ;  "  don't  hesitate  an 
instant." 

Poor  Johnston  had  turned  white.  He 
held  out  his  hand  to  Thorndyke,  "  Shake," 
he  said  in  a  whisper,  not  intended  for  the 
ears  of  the  officer,  "  I  don't  believe  that  we 
shall  meet  again.  I  felt  that  we  were  to 
be  parted  ever  since  that  medical  examina- 
tion." 

Thorndyke's  face  had  altered ;  an  angry 
flush  came  in  his  face  and  his  eyes  flashed, 
but  with  an  effort  lie  controlled  himself. 

"  Tut,  tut,  don't  be  silly.  I  shall  wait  for 
you  round  here ;  if  there  is  any  foul  play  I 
shall  make  some  one  suffer  for  it.  You  can 
depend  on  me  to  the  end ;  we  are  hand  in 
hand  in  this  adventure,  old  man." 


CHANGING   SUN.  73 


CHAPTER' VII. 

Johnston  followed  his  guide  to  a  flying' 
inachine  outside.  He  hesitated  an  instant, 
as  the  officer  was  holding  the  door  open, 
and  looked  back  toward  the  conservatory ; 
but  he  could  not  see  Thorndyke. 

"  Where  are  you  taking  me  ?  "  he  asked 
desperately.  But  the  officer  did  not  seem 
to  hear  the  question.  He  was  motioning  to 
a  tall  man  of  athletic  build  who  wore  a  dark 
blue  uniform  and  who  came  hastily  forward 
and  pushed  the  American  into  the  machine. 
Through  the  open  door  Johnston  saw 
Thorndyke's  anxious  face  as  the  English- 
man emerged  from  the  conservatory  and 
strode  toward  them.  The  two  officers  en- 
tered and  closed  the  glass  door. 

Then  the  machine  rose  and  Johnston's 
spirits  sank  as  they  shot  upward  and  floated 
easily  over  the  humming  crowd  into  the  free 
white  light  above  the  smokeless  city.  The 
poor  captive  leaned  on  the  window-sill  and 
looked  out.    There  was  no  breeze,  and  no 


74  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

current  of  air  except  that  caused  by  their 
rapid  passage  through  the  atmosphere. 

Up,  up,  they  went,  till  the  city  seenied  a 
blur  of  mingled  white  and  gray,  and  then 
the  color  below  changed  to  a  vague  blue  as 
they  flew  over  the  fields  of  the  open  coun- 
try. 

The  first  officer  took  a  glass  and  a  de- 
canter from  a  receptacle  under  a  seat,  and, 
pouring  a  little  red  fluid  into  the  glass, 
offered  it  to  the  American. 

"  Drink  it,"  he  said,  "  it  will  put  you  to 
sleep  for  a  time." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  drugged." 

"  The  journey  will  try  your  nerves.  It  is 
harmless." 

"I  don't  want  it;  if  I  take  it,  you  will 
have  to  pour  it  down  my  throat." 

The  officer  smiled  as  he  put  the  glass  and 
decanter  away.  Faster  and  faster  flew  the 
machine.  They  had  to  put  the  window 
down,  for  the  current  of  air  had  become  too 
strong  and  cool  to  be  pleasant.  The  color 
of  the  sunlight  changed  to  green,  and  then 
at  noon,  from  the  zenith,  a  glorious  i-ed  light 
shimmered  down  and  veiled  the  earth  with 
such  a  beautiful  translucent  haze  that  the 
poor  American  for  a  moment  almost  forgot 
his  trouble. 


CHANGING   SUN.  "    75 

The  afternoon  came  on.  The  sunlight 
became  successively  green,  white,  blue, 
lavender,  rose  and  gray.  The  sun  was  no 
longer  in  sight  and  the  gra}'^  in  the  west 
was  darkening  into  purple,  the  last  hour  of 
the  day.  Night  was  at  hand.  Johnston's 
limbs  were  growing  stiff  from  inaction,  and 
he  had  a  strong  desire  to  speak  or  to  hear 
one  of  the  officers  say  something,  but  they 
were  dozing  in  their  respective  corners. 
The  moon  had  risen  and  hung  far  out  in 
space  overhead,  but  they  seemed  to  be  leav- 
ing it  behind.  Later  he  felt  sure  of  this, 
for  its  light  gradually  became  dimmer  and 
dimmer  till  at  last  they  were  in  total  dark- 
ness— darkness  pierced  only  by  the  power- 
ful search-light  which  threw  its  dazzling, 
trumpet-shaped  rays  far  ahead.  But,  search 
as  he  would  in  the  direction  they  were  going, 
the  unfortunate  American  could  see  nothing 
but  the  ever-receding  wall  of  blackness. 

Suddenly  they  began  to  descend.  The 
officers  awoke  and  stretched  themselves  and 
yawned.  One  of  them  opened  the  window 
and  Johnston  heard  a  far-off,  roaring  sound 
like  that  of  a  multitude  of  skaters  on  a  vast 
sheet  of  ice. 

Down,  down,  they  dropped.  Johnston's 
heart*  was  in  his  mouth. 


76  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

The  machine  suddenly  slackened  in  its 
speed  and  then  hung  poised  in  mid-air. 
The  rays  of  the  search-light  were  directed 
downward  and  slowly  shifted  from  pohit  to 
point.  Looking  down,  the  American  caught 
glimpses  of  rugged  rocks,  sharp  cliffs  and 
yawnhig  chasms. 

"  How  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  first  officer, 
through  a  speaking-tube,  of  the  driver. 

"  A  good  landing !  "  was  the  reply. 

"  \Yell,  go  down."  And  a  moment  later 
the  machine  settled  on  the  uneven  ground. 

The  same  officer  opened  the  door,  and 
gently  pushed  Johnston  out.  Johnston  ex- 
pected them  to  follow  him,  but  the  door  of 
the  machine  closed  behind  him. 

"  Stand  out  of  the  way,"  cried  out  the 
officer  through  the  window ;  "  you  may  get 
struck  as  we  rise." 

Involuntarily  Johnston  obeyed.  There 
was  a  sound  of  escaping  air  from  beneath  the 
machine,  a  fierce  commotion  in  the  atmos- 
phere which  sucked  him  toward  the  ma- 
chine, and  then  the  dazzling  search-light 
blinded  him,  as  the  air-ship  bounded  upward 
and  sailed  back  over  the  course  it  had 
come. 

Johnston  stood  paralyzed  with  fear.  "  My 
God,  this  is  awful !  "  he  exclaimed  in  terror, 


CHANGING   SUN.  77 

and  his  knees  gave  way  beneath  hirn  and  he 
sank  to  the  rock.  "  They  have  left  me  here 
to  starve  in  this  hellish  darkness  !  "  He  re- 
mained there  for  a  moment,  his  face  covered 
with  his  hands,  then  he  sprang  up  desper- 
ately, and  started  to  grope  through  the 
darkness,  he  knew  not  whither.  lie  stum- 
bled at  almost  every  step,  and  ran  against 
bowlders  which  bruised  his  hands  and  face, 
and  went  on  till  his  strength  was  gone. 
Then  he  paused  and  looked  back  toward  the 
direction  from  which  he  had  come.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  he  could  see  the  straight 
line  of  mighty  black  wall  above  which  there 
was  a  faint  appearance  of  light.  A  lump 
rose  in  the  throat  of  the  poor  fellow,  and 
tears  sprang  into  his  eyes. 

But  what  was  that?  Surely  it  was  a 
sound.  It  could  not  have  been  the  wind, 
for  the  air  was  perfectly  still.  The  sound 
was  repeated.  It  was  like  the  moaning  of 
a  human  voice  far  away  in  the  dark.  Could 
it  be  some  one  in  distress,  some  poor  unfor- 
tunate, banished  being,  like  himself  ?  Again 
he  heard  the  sound,  and  this  time,  it  was 
like  the  voice  of  some  one  talking. 

"  Hello ! "  shouted  the  American,  and  a 
cold  shudder  went  over  him  at  the  sound  of 
his  own  husky  voice.    There  was  a  dead 


78  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

silence,  then,  like  an  echo  of  his  own  cry, 
faintly  came  the  word,  "  Hello  !  " 

Filled  with  superstitious  fear,  the  Ameri- 
can cautiously  groped  toward  the  sound. 
"  Hello,  there,  who  are  you  ?  " 

"Help,  help  !^'  said  the  voice,  and  it  was 
now  much  nearer. 

Johnston  plunged  forward  precipitately. 
"  Where  are  you  ?  " 

"  Here,"  and  a  human  form  loomed  up 
before  him. 

For  a  moment  neither  spoke,  then  the 
strange  figure  said : 

"  I  thought  at  first  that  you  were  some 
one  sent  to  rescue  me,  but  I  see  you  are 
alone — damned  like  myself." 

"  It  looks  that  way,"  replied  Johnston. 

"  When  did  they  bring  you  ?  " 

"  Only  a  moment  ago." 

"  My  God,  it  is  awful !  A  week  ago  I  did 
not  dream  of  such  a  fate  as  this.  I  had 
enemies.  The  medical  men  were  bribed  to 
vote  against  me.  Am  I  not  strong  ?  Am  I 
not  muscular  ?    Feel  my  arms  and  thighs." 

He  held  out  an  arm  and  Johnston  felt  of 
it.     The  muscles  were  like  stone. 

"  You  are  a  giant." 

"  Ah !  you  are  right ;  but  they  reported 
that  there  was  a  taint  in  my  blood.    I  was 


CHANGING   SUN.  79 

to  marry  Lallio,  the  inost  beautiful  creature 
in  our  village — Madryl,  you  know,  the  near- 
est hamlet  to  the  home  of  the  Sun.  I 
was  rich,  and  the  best  farmer  there.  But 
Lyngale  wanted  her.  She  hated  him  and 
spat  at  him  when  he  spoke  against  me.  He 
proved  by  others  that  my  lungs  were  weak, 
and  showed  them  the  blood  of  a  slain  dog 
in  my  fields  that  they  said  had  come  from 
my  lungs.  Ah,  they  were  curs  !  My  lungs 
weak  !  Strike  my  chest  with  all  your  might. 
Does  it  not  sound  like  the  king's  thunder  ? 
Strike,  I  say !  "  and  as  the  enfeebled  Ameri- 
can struck  his  bare  breast  he  cried : — 
"  Harder,  harder  !  Pooh,  you  are  a  child,  see 
this,  and  this,"  and  he  emphasized  his  words 
with  thunderous  blows  on  his  resounding 
chest. 

"  But  it  has  been  so  for  a  century,"  he 
panted;  "hundreds  have  been  unjustly 
buried  alive  here.  The  king  thinks  it  is  not 
murder  because  they  die  of  starvation.  I 
have  stumbled  over  the  bones  of  giants 
here  in  the  dark  lands,  and  have  met 
dying  men  that  are  stronger  than  the  king's 
athletes." 

"  What,  are  there  others  here  ?  "  gasped 
the  American. 

The  Alphian  was  silent  in  astonishment. 


80  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

•  "  Why,  where  did  you  come  from  ? "  he 
asked,  after  a  pause.  ^ 

"  From  New  York  City." 

"  I  don't  know  of  it,  and  yet  I  thought  I 
knew  of  all  the  places  inside  the  great  end- 
less wall." 

Johnston  was  mystified  in  his  turn.  "It 
is  not  in  your  country — your  world,  or  what- 
ever you  call  it.     It  is  far  away." 

"  Ah,  under  the  white  sun  !  In  the  '  Ocean 
Country,'  and  the  world  of  fierce  winds  and 
disease.  And  you  are  from  there.  I  had 
heard  of  it  before  they  banished  me ;  but 
two  days- since  I  came  across  a  dying  man, 
away  over  there.  He  was  huddled  against 
the  wall,  and  had  fallen  and  killed  himself 
in  his  efforts  to  climb  back  to  food  and 
light. 

"I  saw  him  die.  lie  told  me  that  he  had 
come  from  your  land  when  he  was  a  child. 
His  trouble  was  the  lungs  and  he  had  fallen 
off  to  a  skeleton.  He  talked  to  me  of  your 
wide  ocean  land.  Is  it,  indeed  so  great? 
And  has  it  no  walls  about  it  ?  " 

"  No,  it  is  surrounded  by  water." 

"  I  cannot  understand,"  and,  after'  a 
pause,  in  which  Johnston  could  hear  the 
great  fellow's  heart  beating,  he  continued: 
"  That  must  be  the  Heaven  the  man  spoke 


CHANGING   SUN.  81 

about.  And  beyond  the  water  is  it  always 
dark  like  this,  and  do  they  banish  people 
there  as  the  king  has  us  ?  " 

"  No ;  beyond  are  other  countries.  But  is 
there  no  chance  for  us  to  escape  from  here  ?  " 

The  Alphian  laughed  bitterly.  "None. 
What  were  you  banished  for  ?" 

"  I  hardly  know." 

"  Hold  out  your  arm.  There,"  as  he  grasped 
Johnston's  arm  in  a  clasp  of  iron,  "  I  see ; 
you  are  undeveloped,  unfit — none  but  the 
healthy  and  strong  are  allowed  to  live  in 
Alpha.  It  is  right,  of  course  ;  but  it  is  hard 
to  bear.  But  I  must  lie  down.  I  am 
wearied  with  constant  rambling.  I  am 
nervous  too.  I  fell  asleep  awhile  ago  and 
dreamt  I  heard  all  my  friends  in  a  great 
clamoring  body  calling  my  name,  'Bra- 
nasko ! '  and  then  I  awoke  and  cried  for 
help." 

As  he  spoke  he  sank  with  a  sigh  to  the 
ground  and  rested  his  head  on  his  elbows 
and  knees  and  seemed  asleep.  The  Ameri- 
can sat  down  beside  him,  and,  for  a  long 
time,  neither  spoke.  Branasko  broke  the 
silence ;  he  awoke  with  a  start  and  eyed  his 
companion  in  sleepy  wonder. 

"  Ugh,  I  dreamt  again,"  he  grunted,  "  are 
you  asleep  ?  " 
G 


82  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

."  No,"  was  Johnston's  reply.  "I  am  hun- 
gry and  thh'sty  and  cannot  sleep." 

"  So  am  I,  but  we  must  wait  till  it  is 
lighter,  then  we  can  go  in  search  of  food. 
When  I  was  a  boy  I  learned  to  catch  fish  in 
pools  with  my  hands  and  it  has  prolonged 
my  life  here.  When  the  light  comes  again, 
I  shall  show  you  how  I  do  it." 

"  Then  the  day  does  break  ?  I  thought  it 
was  eternally  dark  here." 
.  "  It  does  not  get  very  light,  because  we 
are  behind  the  sun ;  but  it  is  lighter  than 
now,  for  we  get  the  sun's  reflection,  enough  at 
least  to  keep  us  from  falling  into  the  chasms." 

Branasko  lowered  his  head  to  his  knees 
and  slept  again,  but  the  American,  though 
wearied,  was  wakeful.  Several  hours  passed. 
The  Alphian  was  sleeping  soundly,  his 
breathing  was  very  heavy  and  he  had  rolled 
down  on  his  side. 

Far  away  in  the  east  the  darkness  gradu- 
ally faded  into  purple,  and  then  into  gray, 
and  slowly  hints  of  pink  appeared  in  the 
skies.  It  was  dawn.  Johnston  touched  his 
companion.  The  man  awoke  and  looked  at 
him  from  his  great  swollen  eyes. 

"It  is  day,"  he  yawned,  rising  and 
stretching  himself. 

"  But  the  sun  is  not  in  sight." 


CHANGING   SUN.  bo 

"  No  ;  it  shows  itself  only  in  the  middle  of 
the  day,  and  then  but  for  a .  few  minutes- 
We  must  go  now  and  search  for  food.  I 
will  show  you  how  to  catch  the  eyeless  fish 
in  the  black  caverns  over  there."  And  he 
led  the  American  into  the  blackness  behind 
them.  Every  now  and  then,  as  they  stum- 
bled along,  Johnston  would  look  longingly 
back  toward  the  faint  pink  light  that  shone 
above  the  high  black  wall.  But  Branasko 
hastened  on. 

Presently  they  came  to  the  edge  of  a  black 
chasm  and  the  American  was  filled  with 
.awe,  for,  from  the  seemingly  fathomless 
depths,  came  a  great  roaring  sound  like  that 
of  a  mighty  wind  and  the  air  that  came 
from  it  was  hot,  though  pure  and  free  from 
the  odor  of  gas. 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  he  asked. 

"They  are  everywhere,"  answered  Bra- 
nasko, "  if  it  were  not  for  their  hot  breath- 
ing the  Land  of  the  Changing  Sun  would  be 
cold  and  damp." 

"  Then  the  sun  does  not  give  out  heat  ?  " 

"  No."  . 

"It  is  cold?" 

"  I  believe  so,  I  have  never  thought  much 
about  it." 

The  American  was  mystified,  but  he  did 


84  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

not  question  farther,  for  Branasko  was  care- 
fully lowering  himself  into  the  hot  gulf. 

"  Follow  me,"  he  said ;  "  we  must  cross  it 
to  reach  the  caves.  I  will  guide  you.  I 
have  been  over  this  way  before." 

"  But  can  we  stand  the  heat  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  when  we  get  used  to  it,  it  is  in- 
vigorating. I  perspire  in  streams,  but  I  feel 
better  afterward.     Come  on." 

Branasko's  head  only  was  above  the 
ground.  "  I  am  standing  on  a  ledge,"  he 
said.  "  Get  down  beside  me.  Fear  nothing. 
It  is  solid;  besides,  what  does  it  matter? 
You  can  die  but  once,  and  it  would  really 
be  better  to  fall  down  there  into  the  internal 
fires  than  to  starve  slowly." 

Johnston  shuddered  convulsively  as  he 
let  himself  down  beside  Branasko.  His  foot 
dislodged  a  stone.  With  a  crash  it  fell  upon 
a  lower  ledge  and  bounded  off  and  went 
whizzing  down  into  the  depths.  Both  men 
listened.  They  heard  the  stone  bounding 
from  ledge  to  ledge  till  the  sound  was  lost 
in  the  internal  roaring. 

"  It  is  mighty  deep,"  said  Johnston. 

"Yes,  but  follow  me;  we  cannot  stop 
here ;  we  must  go  along  this  ledge  till  we 
get  to  the  point  where  the  chasm  is  narrow 
enough  to  jump  across.    I  have  done  it.' 


?» 


CHANGING   SUN.  85 

"The  American  held  to  his  companion 
with  one  hand  and  the  rock  with  the  other, 
and  they  slowly  made  their  way  along  the- 
narrow  ledge,  pausing  every  now  and  then 
to  rest.  At  every  step  the  path  grew  more 
perilous  and  narrower,  and  the  cliff  on  their 
left  rose  higher  and  higher,  till  the  reflected 
light  of  the  sun  had  entirely  disappeared. 
At  certain  points  the  hot, wind  dashed  upon 
them  as  furiously  as  the  whirling  mist  in 
"The  Cave  of  Winds"  at  Niagara  Falls. 
Once  Johnston's  foot  slipped  and  he  fell,  but 
was  drawn  back  to  safety  by  the  strong  arm 
of  the  Alphian. 

"Be  careful;  hold  to  the  chff's  face," 
warned  Branasko  indifferently,  and  he  moved 
onward  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred. 
Presently  they  reached  a  point  where  a 
narrow  bowlder  jutted  out  over  the  chasm 
toward  the  opposite  side,  and  Branasko 
cautiously  crawled  out  upon  it.  When  he 
had  got  to  its  end,  Johnston  could  not  see 
him  in  the  gloom,  but  his  voice  came  to  him 
out  of  the  roaring  of  the  chasm. 

"I  can  see  the  other  side,  and  am  going 
to  jump."  An  instant  later,  the  American 
heard  the  clatter  of  the  Alphian's  shoes  on 
the  rock,  and  his  grunt  of  satisfaction.  Then 
Branasko  called  out :  "  Come  on  ;  crawl  out 


86  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

till  you  feel  the  end  of  the  rock,  and  then 
you  can  see  me." 

In  great  trepidation  the  American  slowly 
crawled  out  on  the  narrow  rock.  Below  him 
yawned  the  hot  darkness,  above  hung  that 
black  ominous  canopy  of  nothingness. 
Slowly  he  advanced  on  hands  and  knees, 
every  moment  feeling  the  sharp  rock  growing 
narrower,  till  finally  be  reached  the  end. 
He  looked  ahead.  He  could  but  faintly  see 
the  ledge  and  Branasko's  tall  form  silhou- 
etted upon  it. 

"  See,  this  is  where  you  have  to  alight," 
cried  the  Alphian.  "  Jump,  I  will  catch 
you ! " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  topple  over  when  I 
stand  up,"  replied  the  American.  "  The  rock 
is  narrow  and  my  head  is  already  swimming. 
I  fear  I  cannot  reach  you.     It  is  no  use." 

"  Tut,  tut  I  "  exclaimed  Branasko.  "  Stand 
up  quickly,  and  jump  at  once.  Don't  stop 
to  think  about  it." 

Johnston  obeyed.  He  felt  his  feet  firmly 
braced  on  the  rock  and  he  sprang  toward 
the  opposite  ledge  with  all  his  might. 
Branasko  caught  him. 

"  Good,"  he  grunted.  "  There  is  another 
place,  we  must  jump  again.  It  is  further 
on."    Along  this  ledge  they  went  for  some 


CHANGING  SUN.  87 

distance,   Branasko  leading  the  way   and 
liolding  the  arm  of  the  American. 

"  Now  here  we  are,  the  chasm  is  a  little 
wider,  but  the  ledge  on  the  other  side  is 
broader."  As  he  spoke  he  released  John- 
ston's arm  and  prepared  to  jump.  He  filled 
his  lungs  two  or  three  times.  But  he  seemed 
to  hesitate.  "  Pshaw,  watching  you  back 
there  has  made  me  nervous.  I  never  cared 
before.  If  I  should  happen  to  fall,  go  back 
to  where  we  met,  it  is  safer  there  without  a 
guide  than  here." 

Without  another  word  Branasko  hurled 
himself  forward.  Johnston  held  his  breath 
in  horror,  for  Branasko's  foot  had  slipped  as 
he  jumped.  The  Alphian  had  struck  the 
opposite  ledge,  but  not  with  his  feet,  as  he 
intended.  He  clutched 'it  with  his  hands 
and  hung  there  for  a  moment,  struggling  to 
get  a  foothold  in  the  emptiness  beneath 
him. 

"  It's  no  use,  I  am  falling ;  I  can  hold  no 
longer !  "  And  Johnston, — too  terrified  to  re- 
ply,— heard  the  poor  fellow's  hands  slipping 
from  the  rock,  causing  a  quantity  of  loose 
stones  to  go  rattling  down  below.  With  a 
low  cry  Branasko  fell.  An  instant  later 
Johnston  heard  him  strike  the  ledge  beneath, 
and  heard  liim  cry  out  in  pain.     Then  all 


88  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

was  still  except  the  echoes  of  Branasko's 
cry,  which  bounded  and  rebounded  from 
side  to  side  of  the  chasm,  and  grew  fainter 
and  fainter,  till  it  was  submerged  in  the 
roaring  below.  Then  there  was  a  rattle  of 
stones,  and  Branasko's  voice  sounded  :  "  A 
narrow  escape  !  "  he  said  faintly.  "  I  am  on 
another  ledge  "—then  after  a  slight  pause, 
"  it  is  much  wider,  I  don't  know  how  wide. 
Are  you  listenhig?  " 

"  Yes,  but  are  you  hurt  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all.  Simply  knocked  the  breath 
out  of  me  for  a  moment.  There  is  a  cave 
behind  me,  and  (for  a  moment  there  was 
silence)  I  can  see  a  light  ahead  in  the 
cave.  I  think  it  must  be  the  reflection  of 
the  internal  fire.  Come  down  to  me  and  we 
will  explore  the  cavern,  and  see  where  the 
light  comes  from." 

"  I  can't  get  down  there ! "  shouted  John- 
ston, to  make  himself  heard  above  a  sudden 
increase  in  the  roaring  in  the  chasm,  "  there 
is  no  way." 

"  Wait  a  moment !  "  came  from  the  Al- 
phian.  "  This  ledge  seems  to  incline  up- 
ward." 

Johnston  stood'  perfectly  motionless,' 
afraid  to  move  from  the  ledge  either  to 
right  or  to  left,  and  heard  Branasko's  foot- 


CHANGING    SUN.  89 

steps  along  the  rock  beneath.  "All  right 
so  far,"  he  called  up,  and  his  voice  showed 
that  he  had  gone  to  a  considerable  distance 
to  the  left,  "  the  ledge  ,seems  to  be  still 
-   leading  gradually  upward.     I  think  I  can 

reach  you." 
► "  '  Fifteen  minutes  passed.    The  lone  Ameri- 
can could  no  longer  hear  Branasko's  foot- 
steps.   Johnston  was  becoming  uneasy  and 
the  hot  air  was  causing  his  head  to  swim. 
'  lie  was  thinking  of  trying  to  retrace  his 
"  footsteps  to  a  place  of  more  security  when 
'  he  heard  footsteps,  and  then  the  cheery 
voice    of.  Branasko    nearly    opposite    him 
'across  the  chasm  : 
'     "  Are  you  there  ?  " 
"Yes." 

"  It  is  well  ;   I  have  discovered  a  good 

..pathway  down  to  the  cave,  and  a  pool  of 

fish  besides.     I  have   saved  some  for  you. 

X-was  so  hungry  I  had  to  eat.     Now,  you 

must  jump  over  to  me." 

f     "I  cannot,"  declared  the  American.     "  I 

'  ''tannot  jump  so  far  ;  besides,  you  failed." 

Branasko  laughed.     "  I  did  not  leap  in 

'  'the  right  direction.     It  is   this  point  on 

^  which  I  am  now  standing  that  I   should 

have  tried  to  reach.     Come,  I  will  catch 

you."  ' 


90  THE  LAND  OF  THE 

J.ohnston  could  not  bear  to  be  considered 
cowardly,  so  he  stepped  to  the  verge  of  the 
chasm  and  prepared  to  jump.  His  head 
felt  more  dizzy  as  he  thought  of  the  fathom- 
less depths  beneath,  and  the  rush  of  hot  air 
uj)  the  side  of  the  cliff  took  his  breath 
away,  but  he  braced  himself  and  said 
calmly  :  "  All  right,  L  am  coming."  The 
next  instant  he  sprang  forward.  Branasko 
caught  him  into  his  arms  and  they  both 
rolled  back  on  the  level  stone. 

"  Good,"  cried  the  Alphian,  trying  to  catch 
his  breath,  which  Johnston  had  knocked  out 
of  him  by  the  fall.  "  You  did  better  than 
I ;  you  are  lighter." 

"  Where  shall  we  go  now  ?  "  asked  John- 
ston, regaining  his  feet  and  feeling  of  his 
legs  and  arms  to  see  if  he  had  broken  any 
bones. 

"Down  this  winding  path  to  the  place 
where  I  saw  that  light.  I  want  to  under- 
stand it.  But  you  must  first  eat  this  fish. 
It  is  delicious.  They  are  swarming  in  the 
pools  below." 

"  And  water  ?  "  said  Johnston. 

"  An  abundance  of  it,  and  as  cold  as  ice." 

As  Branasko  preceded  him  down  the 
tortuous  path,  Johnston  ate  the  raw  fish 
eagerly.    Presently  they  came  to  a  deep 


CHANGING   SUN.  91 

pool  of  water,  and  both  men  threw  them- 
selves down  on  their  stomachs  and  drank 
freely.  After  this  they  proceeded  slowly 
for  several  hundred  ya»rds,  and  finally 
reached  the  entrance  to  the  cave  in  which 
Branasko  had  seen  the  light.  At  tkat  dis- 
tance it  looked  like  the  light  of  some  great 
conflagration  reflected  from  the  face  of  a 
cliff. 

They  entered  the  cave  and  made  good 
progress  toward  the  light,  for  it  showed 
them  the  dangerous  fissures,  sharp  bowlders 
and  stalactites.  They  had  walked  along  in 
silence  for  several  minutes  when  the  Al- 
phian  stopped  abruptly  and  turned  to  his 
companion. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Johnston. 

"  It  cannot:  come  from  the  internal  tires," 
replied  Branasko, '.'  for  the  atmosphere  grows 
cooler  as  we  get  nearer  the  light  and  away 
from  the  chasm." 

Johnston  was  too  much  puzzled  to  form- 
ulate a  reply,  and  he  simply  waited  for  the 
Alphian  to  continue. 

•  "  Let's  go  on,"  said  Branasko  ;  and  in  his 
tone  and  hesitating  manner  Johnston  de- 
tected the  first  appearance  of  superstitious 
fear  that  he  had  seen  in  the  brawny  Alphian. 


92  THE   LAND   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  yill. 

As  Thornclyke  watched  the  flying  ma- 
chine that  was  bearing  his  friend  away  a 
genuine  feehng  of  pity  went  over  him. 

Poor  Johnston !  He  had  been  haunted  all 
day  with  the  belief  that  he  was  to  meet 
with  some  misfortune  from  which  Thorn- 
dyke  was  to  be  spared,  and  Thorndyke  had 
ridiculed  his  fears.  When  the  air-ship  had 
become  a  mere  speck  in  the  sky,  the  Eng- 
lishman turned  back  into  the  palace  and 
strolled  about  in  the  vast  crowd. 

A  handsome  young  man  in  uniform  ap- 
proached and  touched  his  hat : 

"  Are  you  the  comrade  of  the  fellow  they 
are  just  sending  away?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes.     Where  are  they  taking  him  ?  " 

"  To  the  '  Barrens,'  of  course  ;  where  do 
you  suppose  they  would  take  such  a  man  ?~ 
He  couldn't  pass  his  examination.  You  are 
not  a  great  physical  success  yourself,  but 
they  say  you  pleased  the  king  with  your 
tongue." 


CHANGING   SUN.  93 

"To  the  Barrens,"  repeated  Thorndyke, 
too  much  concerned  over  the  fate  of  his 
comrade  to  notice  the  speaker's  tone  of  con- 
tempt;"  what  are  they,  where  are  they?" 

The  Alphian  officer  changed  countenance, 
as  he  looked  him  over  with  widening  eyes. 

"  Your  accent  is  strange ;  are  you  from 
the  other  world?" 

"  I  suppose  so, — this  is  a  new  one  to  me 
at  any  rate." 

"  The  world  of  endless  oceans  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  the  unchanging  sun — forever  white 
and- ?" 

"Yes;  but  where  the  devil  is  the  Bar- 
rens ?  " 

"  Behind  the  sun,  beyond  the  great  end- 
less wall." 

"Do  they  intend  to  put  him  to  death?" 

"  No,  that  would  be — what  do  you  call 
it  ?  murder ;  they  will  simply  leave  him 
til  ere  to  die  of  his  own  accord.  And  the 
king  is  right.  I  never  saw  such  a  weak- 
ling. He  would  taint  our  whole  race  with 
his  presence." 

Without  -  a  word  Thorndyke  abruptly 
turned  from  the  officer  and  hastened  toward 
the  apartment  of  the  king.  He  would  de- 
mand the  return  of  poor  Johnston  or  kill 


94  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

the  king  if  his  demand  was  not  granted. 
In  his  haste  and  perturbation,  however,  he 
lost  his  way  and  wandered  into  a  part  of 
the  palace  he  had  not  seen.  At  every  step 
he  was  more  and  more  impressed  with  the 
magnificent  proportions  of  the  structure  and 
the  grandeur  of  everything  about  it. 

Passing  hurriedly  through  a  large  hall  he 
saw  an  assemblage  of  beautiful  women  and 
handsome  men  dancing  to  the  music  of  a 
great  orchestra,  Furtlier  on — in  a  great 
court — a  regiment  of  soldiers  were  drilling, 
their  rapid  evolutions  making  no  more 
sound  than  if  they  were  moving  in  mid-air. 
In  another  room  he  saw  a  gi-eat  body  of 
men,  women  and  children  in  vari-colored 
suits  bathing  in  a  pool  of  rose-colored,  per- 
fumed water. 

He  was  passing  on  when  a  woman,  closely 
veiled  and  simply  dressed,  touched  his  arm. 

"  Be  watchful  and  follow  me,"  she  said,  in 
a  low,  guarded  tone. 

The  heart  of  the  Englishman  bounded 
and  his  blood  rushed  to  his  face,  for  the 
speaker  was  the  Princess  Bernardino.  She 
did  not  pause,  but  glided  on  into  the  shade 
of  a  great  palm  tree,  and,  behind  a  row  of 
thick-growing  ferns  of  great  height  and 
thickness,  she  waited  for  him. 


CHANGING   SUN.  95 

She  lowered  her  veil  as  he  approached  and 
looked  at  him  from  her  deep  brown  eyes  in 
great  concern.  lie  stood  spell-bound  under 
the  witchery  of  her  beauty. 

"  I  came  to  warn  you,  Prince,"  she  said, 
and  her  soft  musical  voice  set  every  nerve 
in  Thorndyke's  body  to  tingling  with  de- 
light. "  My  father  has  banished  the  faith- 
ful slave  that  you  love,  but  you  must  not 
show  the  anger  that  you  feel,  else  he  will 
kill  you.  You  must  be  exceedingly  cautious 
if  you  would  save  him.  My  father  would 
punish  me  severely  if  he  knew  that  I  had 
sought  you  in  this  way.  I  was  obliged  to 
come  in  disguise ;  this  dress  belongs  to  my 
most  trusted  maid." 

"  And  you  came  for  my  sake  ?  "  blurted 
out  the  Englishman,  much  embarrassed  ; 
"  I  am  not  worthy  of  such  a  high  honor." 

She  smiled  and  tears  rose  in  her  eyes. 

"  Oh,  Prince,  don't  speak  to  me  so !  You 
are  far  above  me.  I  am  weak,  I  know 
nothing.  I  never  cared  for  other  men  than 
the  king  and  my  brothers  till  I  saw  you  to- 
day, but  now  I  would  willingly  be  your  slave." 

"  I  am  yours  forever,  and  an  humble  one," 
bowed  the  courteous  Englishman.  "  The 
moment  I  saw  you  at  the  throne  of  your 
father  my  heart  went  out  to  you.    You 


96  THE, LAND   OF  THE 

wound  it  up  in  your  music  and  trampled  it 
under  your  dancing  feet.  I  have  been  over 
the  Whole  world,  and  you  are  the  loveliest 
creature  in  it.  It  is  because  I  saw  you,  be- 
cause you  are  here,  that  I  do  not  want  to 
leave  your  country.  They  may  do  as  they 
will  with  me  if  they  only  will  let  me  see 
you  now  and  then." 

The  princess  was  deeply  moved.  The 
blood  rushed  to.  her  face  and  beautified  it. 
Her  eyes  fell  beneath  his  admiring  glance. 
Thorndyke  could  not  restrain  himself.  He 
cauglit  her  slender  hand  and  pressed  it  pas- 
sionately to  his  lips,  and  she  made  only  a 
slight  effort  to  prevent  it. 

"  I  am  your  obedient  slave ;  what  shall  I 
do?"  he  asked. 

"  Do  not  try  to  rescue  him  now,"  she  said 
softly.  "  I  shall  come  to  you  again  when  we 
are  not  watched — you  can  know  me  by  this 
dress.  There  is  no  need  for  great  haste,  he 
could  live  in  the  Barrens  several  days  ;  I 
shall  try  to  think  of  some  way  to  save  him, 
though  such  a  thing  has  never  been  done — 
never." 

Footsteps  were  heard  on  the  other  side  of 
the  row  of  ferns.  A  man  was  passing  and 
others  soon  followed  him.  The  bathers 
were  leaving  the  great  pool. 


CHANGING   SUN.  97 

"I  must  leave  you  now,"  she  whispered. 
"If  the  king  honors  you  again  by  talking 
of  his  kingdom,  continue  to  act  as  you  did  ; 
your  fearlessness  and  good  humor  have 
pleased  him  greatly." 

"  Could  I  not  persuade  him  to  bring 
Johnston  back  ?  " 

"  No ;  that  would  be  impossible ;  those 
who  are  pronounced  physically  unfit  are 
obliged  to  die.  It  has  been  a  law  for  a  long 
time ;  you  must  not  count  on  that.  I  have, 
however,  another  plan,  but  I  cannot  tell 
you  of  it  now,  for  they  may  miss  me  and 
wonder  where  I  am,  and  then,  too,  my  father 
may  be  looking  for  you.  He  will  naturally 
desire  to  see  you  soon  again." 

Bowing,  she  turne.d  away  and  passed  on 
toward  the  apartments  of  the  king,  which 
the  Englishman  now  recognized  in  the  dis- 
tance. Thorndyke  went  into  the  bathing- 
room  to  watch  those  remaining  in  the  great 
pool  of  rose- colored  water  The  sight  was 
beautiful.  The  waves  which  lapped  against 
the  shelving  shores  of  white  marble  were 
pink  and  white,  and  the  deeper  water  was 
as  red  as  coral. 

The  Englishman  was  at  once  troubled 
over  the  fate  of  Johnston  and  elated  over 

having  won  Bernardino's  regard.    Thought- 

7 


98  THE   LAKD   OF   THE 

fully  he  strolled  away  from  the  bathers  into 
a  great  picture-gallery.  Here  hung  on  the 
walls  and  stood  on  pedestals  some  of  the 
rarest  works  of  art  he  had  ever  seen.  He 
passed  through  this  room  and  was  entering 
a  shady  retreat  where  plants,  flowers  and 
umbrageous  trees  grew  thickly,  when  he 
heard  a  step  behind  him  and  the  rustling  of 
a  silken  skirt  against  the  plants. 

It  was  Bernardino. 

"  We  can  be  unobserved  here,"  she  said, 
taking  off  her  thick  veil  and  arranging  her 
luxuriant  hair.  "  I  hasten  back.  The  king 
thinks,  so  my  maid  tells  me,  that  I  am 
asleep  in  my  chamber.  He  is  busy  with  an 
audience  of  police  from  a  neighboring  town 
and  will  not  think  of  us." 

She  sat  down  on  a  sofa  upholstered  in 
leather,  and  he  took  a  seat  beside  her.  "  I 
am  glad  that  we  can  talk  alone,"  he  said, 
"  for  I  have  much  to  ask  you.  First,  tell 
me  where  we  are, — where  this  strange 
country  is  on  the  map  of  the  world." 

"  It  is  a  long  story,"  she  replied,  "  and  it 
would  greatly  incense  the  king  if  he  should 
find  out  that  I  had  told  you,  for  one  of  his 
chief  pleasures  is  to  note  the  surprise  and 
admiration  of  new-comers  over  what  they 
see  here.    But  if  you  will  promise  to  gratify 


CHANGING   SUN.  99 

his  vanity  in  this  particular  I  will  try  to 
explain  it  all." 

"  I  promise,  and  you  can  depend  on  my 
not  getting  you  into  trouble,"  replied 
Thorndyke.  "  I  never  was  so  puzzled  in 
my  life,  with  that  sullen  sky  overhead,  the 
wonderful  changing  sunlight,  and  the  re- 
markable atmosphere.  I  am  both  bewil- 
dered and  entranced.  Every  moment  I  see 
something  new  and  startling.  Where  are 
we  ?  " 

"  Far  beneath  the  ocean  and  the  surface 
of  the  earth.  I  only  know  what  the  king 
has  let  fall  in  my  hearing  in  his  conferences 
with  his  men  of  science  and  inventors  ;  but 
I  shall  try  to  make  you  understand  how  it 
all  came  about." 

"  It  was  a  long  time  ago,  two  hundred 
years  back,  I  suppose,  that  one  of  my 
ancestors  discovered  a  little  isolated  island 
in  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  He  was  forced  in  a 
storm  to  land  there  with  his  ship  and  crew 
to  make  some  repairs  in  his  vessel.  In 
wandering  about  over  the  island  he  dis- 
covered a  narrow  entrance  to  a  cave,  and, 
with  two  or  three  of  his  men,  he  began  to 
explore  it.  When  they  had  gone  for  a  mile 
or  two  down  into  the  interior  of  the  cavern, 
which  seemed  to  lead  straight  down  toward 


100  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

the  centre  of  the  earth,  they  began  to  find 
small  i3ieces  of  gold.  The  further  they  went 
the  more  they  found,  till  at  last  the  very 
cavern  walls  seemed  lined  with  it. 

"  They  were  at  first  wildly  excited  over 
their  sudden  good  fortune  and  were  about 
to  load  their  ship  with  it  and  return  to 
Europe  at  once,  but  the  better  judgment  of 
my  arjcestor  prevailed.  He  explained  that, 
if  the  world  were  informed  of  the  discovery 
of  such  an  inexhaustible  mine  of  gold,  that 
the  value  of  the  precious  metal  would  de- 
cline till  it  would  be  worth  little  more  than 
some  grosser  metal,  and  that  if  thej^  would 
only  keep  their  secret  to  themselves  they 
could  in  time  control  the  finances  of  the 
world.  So,  acting  on  this  suggestion,  they 
only  dug  out  a  few  thousand  pounds  and 
took  part  of  it  to  Europe  and  part  of  it  to 
America  and  turned  it  into  money. 

"  Then,  to  curtail  my  story,  they  elected 
my  ancestor  as  ruler,  and,  with  ships  loaded 
with  every  available  convenience  that  inex- 
haustible wealth  could  procure  and  a  colony 
of  carefully  chosen  men,  they  returned  to 
the  island. 

"  After  the  men  and  their  families  had. 
settled  in  the  great  roomy  mouth  of  the 
cavern  my  ancestor  supplied  himself  with 


CHANGING   SUN.  101 

several  strong  men  and  food  and  lights,  and 
sought  to  explore  the  entire  cavern. 

"  To  their  astonishment  they  found  that 
it  was  practical]}^  endless.  AVhen  they  had 
gone  down  about  sixty  or  seventy  miles 
below  the  sea  level  they  found  themselves 
on  a  vast,  undulating  plain,  the  soil  of  which 
was  dark  and  rich,  with  the  black  roof  of 
the  cavern  arching  overhead  like  the  bottom 
of  a  great  inverted  bowl.  And  when  they 
had  travelled  about  ten  days,  and  reached 
tlie  other  side  my  ancestor  calculated  that 
the  cave  must  be  over  one  hundred  miles 
in  diameter  and  almost  circular  in  shape. 
But  what  elated  and  surprised  them  most 
was  the  remarkable  salubrity  of  the  atmos- 
phere. In  all  parts  of  the  cave  it  was 
exactly  the  same  temperature,  and  they 
found  that  they  scarcely  felt  any  fatigue 
from  their  journey,  and  that  they  had  little 
desire  to  eat  the  provisions  with  which 
tliey  were  supplied.  Indeed,  the  very  air 
seemed  permeated  with  a  subtle  quality 
that  gave  them  strength  and  energy  of 
mind  and  body. 

"  Finally,  when,  after  a  month  Iiad  passed, 
and  they  returned  to  their  anxious  friends, 
these  people  overwhelmed  them  with  ex- 
clamations of  surprise  over  their  appear- 


102  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

ance.  And  in  the  light  of  day  the  explor- 
ers looked  at  one  another  in  astonishment, 
for,  in  the  dim  light  of  the  lanterns  they  had 
carried,  they  had  not  noticed  the  great 
change  that  had  come  over  them.  They  had 
all  become  the  finest  specimens  of  physical 
health  that  could  be  imagined.  Their 
bodies  had  filled  out ;  they  were  remarkably 
strong;  their  skms  shone  with  healthful 
color  and  their  eyes  sparkled  with  intellect- 
ual energy,  and  their  minds,  even  to  the 
humblest  burden-carrier,  were  astonishingly 
acute  and  active. 

"  My  ancestor  was  a  remarkable  man,  and 
he  had  hitherto  shown  much  inventive  abil- 
ity ;  but  in  that  month  in  the  cave  he  had 
developed  into  an  intellectual  giant.  After 
mature  deliberation,  he  proposed  a  prodig- 
ious scheme  to  his  followers.  He  explained 
that,  while  they  might,  by  using  the  utmost 
discretion,  hold  the  financial  world  in  their 
power  by  means  of  their  inexhaustible 
wealth,  that  the  laws  and  restrictions  of 
different  countries  prevented  men  of  vast 
wealth  from  really  enjoying  more  privileges 
than  men  of  moderate  means.  He  grew 
eloquent  in  speaking  of  the  underground 
atmosphere,  and  proposed  that  they  light 
the  great  cavern  from  end  to  end  and  make 


CHANGING   SUN.  103 

it  an  ideal  place  where  they  could  live  as  it 
suited  them. 

"  I  see  that  you  guess  the  end.  My  an- 
cestor was  a  great  student  of  the  sciences 
and  had  already  thought  of  putting  electric- 
ity to  practical  use.  You  are  surprised? 
Yes,  it  has  heen  applied  to  our  purposes  for 
two  hundred  years,  wiiile  your  people  have 
understood  its  use  such  a  short  time." 

"  Great  heavens  !  "  exclaimed  the  English- 
man. "  I  see  it  all ;  the  sun  is  an  electric 
one ! " 

«Yes." 

"  And  it  runs  mechanically  over  its  great 
course  as  regularly  as  clock-work." 

"  More  accurately,  I  assure  you,  hut  there 
probably  never  was  a  greater  mathematical 
problem  than  they  solved  in  deciding  on  the 
size  the  sun  should  be  and  amount  of  light 
necessary  to  fill  up  all  the  recesses  of  the 
great  vacancy.  It  was  all  very  crude  at  the 
start ;  for  years  a  great  electric  light  was 
simply  suspended  in  the  centre  of  the 
cavern's  roof  and  the  light  did  not  vary  in 
color.  A  son  of  the  first  king  suggested 
the  plan  of  giving  the  sun  diurnal  move- 
ment and  the  changing  light.  The  moon  and 
stars  were  a  later  development.  They 
found,  too,  that  the  light  could  not  be  made 


104  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

to  reach  certain  recesses  in  the  cavern  where 
the  roof  approached  the  earth,  so  they  finally- 
built  a  great  wall  to  keep  the  inhabitants 
within  proscribed  boundaries,  and  to  pre- 
vent them  from  understanding  the  machin- 
ery of  the  heavens." 

"  Wonderful  !  "  exclaimed  Thorndyke. 
"But  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere, 
how  does  that  happen  to  be  so  delightful 
and  beneficial  ?  " 

"  I  believe  they  do  not  themselves 
thoroughly  comprehend  tliat.  The  heat 
comes  from  the  internal  fires,  and  the  fresh 
air  from  without  in  some  mysterious  way. 
At  first,  in  a  few  places,  the  heat  was  too 
severe,  but  the  scientific  men  among  the 
first  settlers  obviated  this  difficulty  by 
closing  up  the  hottest  of  the  fissures  and 
opening  others  in  the  cooler  parts  of  the 
cavern." 

"  And  the  people,  where  did  they  come 
from?" 

"  From  all  parts  of  the  earth.  We  had 
agents  outside  who  selected  such  men  and 
women  that  were  willing  to  come,  and  who 
filled  all  the  requirements,  mentally  and 
physically." 

"  But  why  do  they  desire  to  live  here 
instead  of  out  in  the  world,  when  they  have 


CHANGING   SUN.  105 

all  the  wealth  that  they  need  to  assure  every 
advantage." 

"  They  dread  death,  and  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  life  is  prolonged  here ;  our  medical 
men  declare  that  the  longevity  of  every 
generation  is  improved." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  But  tell  me  about  the 
sun,  when  it  sets,  what  becomes  of  it?" 

"  It  goes  back  to  its  place  of  rising  through 
a  great  tunnel  beneath  us." 

Thorndyke  sat  in  deep  thought  for  a  mo- 
ment; then  he  looked  so  steadily  and  so 
admiringly  into  Bernardino's  eyes  that  she 
grew  red  with  confusion.  "  But  you,  your- 
self, are  you  thoroughly  content  here  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  else,"  she  continued. 
"  I  have  heard  little  about  your  world  ex- 
cept that  your  people  are  discontented, 
weak  and  insane,  and  that  your  changeable 
weatlier  and  your  careless  laws  regarding 
marriage  and  heredity  produce  perpetual 
and  iimumerable  diseases ;  that  your  people 
are  not  well  developed  and  beautiful ; 
that  you  war  with  one  another,  and  that 
one  tears  down  what  another  builds.  I 
have,  too,  always  been  happy,  and  since  you 
came  I  am  hai')pier  still.  I  don't  know  what 
it  means.  I  have  never  been  so  much  in- 
terested in  any  one  before." 


106  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

"  It  is  love  on  the  part  of  both  of  ns," 
replied  the  Englishman  impulsively,  taking 
her  hand.  "  I  never  was  content  before.  I 
went  roving  over  the  earth  trying  to  end 
my  life  at  sea  or  in  balloon  voyages,  bnt 
^ow  I  only  want  to  be  with  you.  1  have 
never  dreamed  that  I  could  be  so  happy 
or  that  I  would  meet  any  one  so  beautiful 
as  you  are." 

Bernardino's  delight  showed  itself  in 
blushes  on  her  face,  and  Thorndyke,  unable 
to  restrain  himself,  put  his  arm  around  her 
and  drew  her  to  his  breast  and  kissed  her. 

She  sprang  up  quickly  and  he  saw  that 
she  was  trembling  and  that  all  the  color 
had  fled  from  her  face. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  he  asked,  in 
alarm. 

At  first  she  did  not  answer,  but  only 
looked  at  him  half-frightened,  and  then 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  He  drew 
them  from  her  face  and  compelled  her  to 
look  at  him. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  he  repeated,  a 
strange  fear  at  his  heart. 

"  You  have  broken  one  of  the  most  sacred 
laws  of  our  country,"  she  faltered,  in  great 
embarrassment ;  "  my  father  would  punish 
me  very  severely  if  he  knew  of  it,  and  he 


CHANGING   SUN,  107 

would  banish  you ;  for,  to  treat  me  in  that 
manner,  as  his  daughter,  is  regarded  as  an 
insult  to  him." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  most  humbly,"  said 
the  contrite  Englishman.  "  It  was  all  on 
account  of  my  ignorance  of  your  customs 
and  my  impulsiveness.  It  shall  never  hap- 
pen again,  I  promise  you." 

Her  face  brightened  a  little  and  the  color 
came  back  slowly.  She  sat  down  again,  but 
not  so  near  Thorndyke,  and  seemed  desirous 
of  changing  the  subject. 

"  And  do  you  love  the  man  my  father  has 
transported  ?  "  she  questioned. 

"  Yes,  he  is  a  good,  faithful  fellow,  and  it 
is  hard  to  die  so  far  away  from  friends." 

"  We  must  try  to  save  him,  but  I  cannot 
now  think  of  a  safe  plan.  The  police  are 
very  vigilant." 

"  Where  was  he  taken?" 

"  Into  the  darkness  behind  the  sun — be- 
yond the  wall  of  which  I  spoke." 

A  flush  of  shame  came  into  Thorndyke's 
face  over  the  remembrance  that  he  had 
made  no  effort  to  aid  poor  Jolmston,  and 
was  sitting  listening  with  delight  to  the 
conversation  of  Bernardino.  He  rose  sud- 
denly. 

"  I  must  be  doing  something  to  aid  him," 


108  "  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

he  said.     "  I  cannot  sit  here  inactive  while 
he  is  in  danger." 

•  "  Be  patient,"  she  advised,  looking  at  him 
admiringly ;  "  it  is  near  night ;  see,  it  is  the 
gray  light  of  dusk ;  the  sun  is  out  of  sight. 
To-night,  if  possible,  I  shall  come  to  you. 
Perhaps  I  shall  approach  you  without  dis- 
guise if  you  are  in  the  throne-room  and  my 
father  does  not  object  to  my  entertaining 
you,  but  for  the  present  we  must  separate. 
Adieu." 

He  bowed  low  as  she  turned  away,  and 
joined  the  throng  that  was  passing  along 
outside.  An  officer  approached  him.  It 
was  Captain  Tradmos,  who  bowed  and 
smiled  pleasantly. 

"  I  congratulate  you,"  he  said,  with  suave 
pleasantness. 

"  Upon  what  ?  "  Thorndyke  was  on  his 
guard  at  once. 

"  Upon  having  pleased  the  king  so  thor- 
oughly. No  stranger,  in  my  memory,  has 
ever  been  treated  so  courteously.  Every 
other  new-comer  is  put  under  surveillance, 
but  you  are  left  unwatched." 

"  He  is  easily  pleased,"  said  the  English-, 
man,  "  for  I  have  done  nothing  to  gratify 
him." 

"  I  thought  he  would  like  you ;  and  I  felt 


CHANGING   SUN.  109 

that  your  friend  would  have  to  suffer,  but  I 
could  not  help  him." 

"  He  shall  not  suffer  if  I  can  prevent  it." 
"  Sh — be  cautious.  Those  words,  imply- 
ing an  inclination  to  treason,  if  spoken  to 
any  other  officer  would  place  you  under 
immediate  arrest.  I  like  you,  therefore 
I  want  to  warn  you  against  such  folly. 
You  are  wholly  in  the  king's  power.  An- 
other thing  I  Avould  specially  warn  you 
against " 


"  And  that  is  ?  " 

"  Not  to  allow  the  king  to  suspect  your 
admiration  for  the  Princess  Bernardino.  It 
would  displease  the  king.  She  is  much 
taken  with  you ;  T  saw  it  in  her  eyes  when 
she  danced  for  your  entertainment." 

Thorndyke  made  no  reply,  but  gazed 
searchingly  into  the  eyes  of  the  officer. 
Tradmos  laughed. 

"  You  are  afraid  of  me." 

"  No,  I  am  not,  I  trust  you  wholly ;  I 
know  that  you  are  honorable ;  I  never  make 
a  mistake  along  that  line." 

Tradmos  bowed,  pleased  by  the  compli- 
ment. 

'•  I  shall  aid  you  all  I  can  with  my  advice, 
for  I  know  you  will  not  betray  me ;  but  at 
present  I  am  powerless  to  give  you  material 


110  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

aid.  Every  subject  of  this  realm  is  bound 
to  the  autocratic  will  of  the  king.  It  is 
impossible  for  any  one  to  get  from  under 
his  power." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  The  only  outlet  to  the  upper  world  is 
carefully  guarded  by  men  who  would  not 
be  bribed." 

"  Is  there  any  chance  for  ray  friend  ?  " 

"  None  that  I  can  see,  but  I  must  walk 
on;  there  comes  one  of  the  king's  attend- 
ants." 

"  The  king  has  asked  to  speak  to  you," 
announced  the  attendant  to  Thorndyke. 

"  I  will  go  with  you,"  was  his  reply,  and 
he  followed  the  man  through  the  crowded 
corridors  into  the  throne-room  of  the  king. 
Thorndyke  forced  a  smile  as  he  saw  the 
king  smiling  at  him  as  he  approached  the 
throne. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  my  palace  ? " 
asked  the  king,  after  Thorndyke  had  knelt 
before  him. 

"  It  is  superb,"  answered  the  Englishman, 
recalling  the  advice  of  Bernardino.     "  I  am 
dazed  by  its  splendor,  its  architecture,  and- 
its  art.    I  have  seen  nothing  to  equal  it  on 
earth." 

The  king  rose  and  stood  beside  him.     His 


CHANGING   SUN.  Ill 

manner  was  both  pleasing  and  sympathetic. 
"  I  am  .persuaded,"  said  he,  "  that  you  will 
make  a  good  subject,  and  have  the  interest 
of  Alpha  always  at  heart,  but  I  have  often 
been  mistaken  in  the  character  of  men  and 
think  it  best  to  give  you  a  timely  warning. 
An  attendant  will  conduct  you  to  a  chamber 
beneath  the  palace  where  it  will  be  your 
privilege  to  converse  with  a  man  who  once 
planned  to  get  up  a  rebellion  among  my 
people." 

There  had  come  suddenly  a  stern  harsh- 
ness into  the  king's  tone  that  roused  the 
fears  of  Thorndyke.  He  was  about  to  reply, 
but  the  king  held  up  his  hand.  "  Wait  till 
you  have  visited  the  dungeon  of  Nordeskyne, 
then  I  am  sure  that  you  will  be  convinced 
that  strict  obedience  in  thought  as  well  as 
deed  is  best  for  an  inhabitant  of  Alpha." 
Speaking  thus,  he  signed  to  an  attendant 
who  came  forward  and  bowed. 

'.'Conduct  him  to  the  dungeon  of  Nor- 
deskyne,  and  return  to  me,"  ordered  the 
king. 

Thorndyke's  heart  was  heavy,  and  he  was 
filled  with  strange  forebodings,  but  he  simply 
smiled  and  bowed,  as  the  attendant  led  him 
away.  The  attendant  opened  a  door  at  the 
back  of  the  throne- room  and  they  were  con- 


112  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

fronted  by  darkness.  They  went  along  a 
narrow  corridor  for  some  distance,  the  dark- 
ness thickening  at  every  step.  There  was 
no  sound  except  the  sound  of  the  guide's 
shoes  on  the  smooth  stone  pavement.  Pres- 
ently the  man  released  Thorndyke's  arm, 
saying : 

"  It  is  narrow  here,  follow  close  behind, 
and  do  not  attempt  to  go  back." 

"  I  shall  certainly  stick  to  you,"  replied 
the  Englishman  drily.  They  turned  a  sharp 
corner  suddenly,  and  were  going  in  another 
direction  when  Thorndyke  felt  a  soft  warm 
hand  steal  into  his  from  behind,  and  knew 
intuitively  that  it  was  Bernardino.  The 
guide  was  ajew  feet  in  advance  of  them 
and  she  drew  Thorndyke's  head  down  and 
whispered  into  his  ear. 

"  Be  brave — by  all  that  you  love — for  your 
life,  keep  your  presence  of  mind,  and " 

"  What  was  that  ? "  asked  the  guide, 
turning  suddenly  and  catching  the  English- 
man's arm,  "  I  thought  I  heard  whisper- 
ing." 

"  I  was  saying  my  prayers,  that  is  all," 
and  the  Englishman  pressed  the  hand  of 
the  princess,  who,  pressed  close  against  the 
wall,  was  gliding  cautiously  away. 

"  Prayers,  humph — you'll  need  them  later, 


CHANGENG   SUN.  113 

come  on  !  "  and  he  caught  the  Englishman's 
arm  and  hastily  drew  him  onward.  Thorn- 
dyke's  spirits  sank  lower.  The  air  of  the 
narrow  under-ground  corridor  was  cold  and 
damp,  and  he  quivered  from  head  to  foot. 
8 


114  THE   LAND   OF  THE 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Branasko  paused  again  in  his  walk  to- 
wards the  mysterious  light. 

"  It  cannot  be  from  the  internal  fires," 
said  he,  "  for  this  light  is  white,  and  the 
glow  of  the  fires  is  red." 

"Let's  turn  back,"  suggested  Johnston, 
"  it  can  do  us  no  good  to  go  down  there ;  it 
is  only  taking  us  further  from  the  wall." 

"  I  should  like  to  understand  it,"  returned 
the  Alphian  thoughtfully ;  "  and,  besides, 
there  can  be  no  more  danger  there  than  back 
among  the  hot  crevices.  We  have  got  to 
perish  anyway,  and  we  might  as  well  spice 
the  remainder  of  our  lives  with  whatever 
adventure  we  can.  Who  knows  what  we 
may  not  discover  ?  There  are  many  things 
about  the  land  of  Alpha  that  the  inhabit- 
ants do  not  understand." 

"I'll  follow  you  anywhere,"  acquiesced 
Johnston ;  "  you  are  right." 

They  stumbled  on  over  the  rocky  surface 
in  silence.    At  times,  the  roof  of  the  cavern 


CHANGING   SUN.  115 

sank  so  low  that  they  had  to  stoop  to  pass 
under  it,  and  again  it  rose  sharply  like  the 
roof  of  a  cathedral,  and  the  rays  of  the  far- 
away, but  ever-increasing  light,  shone  upon 
glistening  stalactites  that  hung  from  the 
darkness  above  them  like  daggers  of  dia- 
monds set  in  ebony. 

"  It  is  not  so  near  as  I  supposed,"  said 
the  Alphian  wearily.  "  And  the  light  seemed 
to  me  to  be  shining  on  a  cliff  over  which 
water  is  pouring  in  places.  Yes,  you  can 
see  that  it  is  water  by  the  ripples  in  the 
light." 

"  Yes,  but  where  can  the  light  itself  be  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  yet  tell ;  wait  till  we  get 
nearer." 

In  about  an  hour  they  came  to  a  wide 
chasm  on  the  other  side  of  which  towered  a 
vast  cliff  of  white  crystal.  It  was  on  this 
that  the  trembling  light  was  playing. 

"Not  a  waterfall  after  all,"  said  Bra- 
nasko  ;  "  see,  there  is  the  source  of  the  re- 
flection," and  he  pointed  to  the  left  through 
a  series  of  dark  chambers  of  the  cavern  to  a 
dazzling  light.  "  Come,  let's  go  nearer  it.'' 
lie  moved  a  few  steps  forward  and  then 
happening  to  look  over  his  shoulder  he 
sto]->ped  abruptly,  and  uttered  an  exclama- 
tion of  surprise. 


116  THE   LAND    OF    THE 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  And  Johnston  followed 
the  eyes  of  the  Alphian, 

"'Our  shadows  on  the  crystal  cliff,"  said 
Branasko  in  an  awed  tone  ;  "  only  the  light 
from  the  changing  sun  could  make  them  so." 

Johnston  shuddered  superstitiously  at 
the  tone  of  Branasko's  quivering  voice,  and 
their  giant  shadows  which  stood  out  on  the 
smooth  crystal  like  silhouettes.  So  clear- 
cut  were  they,  that,  in  his  own  shadow,  the 
American  could  see  his  breast  heaving  and 
in  Branasko's  the  quivering  of  the  Alphian's 
huge  body  and  limbs. 

"If  we  have  happened  upon  the  home  of 
the  sun,  only  the  spirit  of  the  dead  kings 
could  tell  what  will  become  of  us,"  said 
Branasko. 

"  Pull !  you  are  blindly  superstitious," 
said  Johnston  ;  "  what  if  we  do  come  upon 
the  sun?  Let's  go  down  there  and  look 
into  the  mystery." 

Branasko  fell  into  the  rear  and  the 
American  stoutly  pushed  ahead  toward 
the  light  which  was,  every  moment  increas- 
ing. As  they  advanced  the  cave  got  larger 
until  it  opened  out  into  a  larger  plain  over 
which  hung  fathomless  darkness,  and  out  of 
the  plain  a  great  dazzling  globe  of  light 
was  slowly  rising. 


CHANGING   SUN.  117 

"  It  is  the  sun  itself,"  exclaimed  Branasko, 
and  he  sank  to  the  earth  and  covered  his 
face  with  his  hands.  "  I  have  not  thought 
ever  to  see  it  out  of  the  sky." 

The  American  was  deeply  thrilled  by  the 
grand  sight.  He  sat  down  by  Branasko 
and  together  they  watched  the  vast  ball  of 
light  emerge  from  the  black  earth  and 
gradually  disappear  in  a  great  hole  in  the 
roof  of  the  cavern.  It  left  a  broad  stream 
of  light  behind  it,  and,  now  that  the  sun  it- 
self was  out  of  view,  the  silent  spectators 
could  see  the  great  square  hole  from  which 
it  had  risen. 

As  if  by  mutual  consent,  they  rose  and 
made  their  way  over  the  rocks  to  the  verge 
of  the  hole,  which  seemed  several  thousand 
feet  square.  At  first,  owing  to  the  bright- 
ness of  the  sun  overhead,  they  could  see 
nothing ;  but,  as  the  great  orb  gradually  dis- 
appeared, they  began  to  see  lights  and  the 
figures  of  men  moving  about  below.  Later 
they  observed  the  polished  parts  of  stupen- 
dous machinery — machinery  that  moved  al- 
most noiselessly.  Johnston  caught  sight  of 
a  great  net- work  of  moving  cables  reaching 
from  tlie  machinery  up  through  tlie  hole 
above  and  exclaimed  enthusiastically  :  — 

"A    mechanical  sun!    electric  daylight! 


118  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

What  genius !  A  world  in  a  great  cave ! 
Hundreds  of  square  miles  and  thousands  of 
well  organized  people  living  under  the  light 
of  an  artificial  sun !  " 

The  Alphian  looked  at  him  astonished. 
"  Is  it  not  so  in  your  country  ?  "  he  asked. 

Johnston  smiled.  "  The  great  sun  that 
lights  the  outer  world  is  as  much  greater 
than  that  ball  of  light  as  Alpha  is  greater 
than  a  grain  of  sand.  But  this  surely  is 
the  greatest  achievement  of  man.  But 
while  I  now  understand  how  your  sun  goes 
over  the  whole  of  Alpha,  I  cannot  see  how 
it  returns." 

*'  Then  you  have  not  heard  of  the  great 
tunnel  of  the  Sun,"  replied  the  Alphian. 

"No,  what  is  it?" 

"It  runs  beneath  Alpha  and  connects 
the  rising  and  setting  points  of  the  sun. 
There  is  a  point  beneath  the  king's  palace 
where,  by  a  staircase,  the  king  and  his  offi- 
cers may  go  down  and  inspect  the  sun  as  it  is 
on  its  way  back  to  the  east  during  the  day." 

"  Wonderful !  " 

"  And  once  a  year  a  royal  party  goes  in 
the  sun  over  its  entire  course.  It  is  said 
that  it  is  sumptuously  furnished  inside,  and 
not  too  warm,  the  lights  being  only  in- 
numerable small  ones  on  the  outside." 


CHANGING   SUN.  119 

The  two  men  were  silent  for  a  moment 
then  Johnston  said  : 

"  Perhaps  we  might  be  able  to  j^et  into  it 
unobserved  and  be  thus  carried  over  to  the 
other  side,  or  reach  the  palace  through  the 
tunnel." 

Branasko  started  convulsively,  and  then, 
as  he  looked  into  the  earnest  eyes  of  the 
American,  he  said  despondently : 

"  We  have  got  to  die,  anyway  ;  it  may  be 
well  for  us  to  think  of  it;  but  on  the  other 
side,  in  the  Barrens,  there  is  no  more  chance 
for  escape  than  here.  But  tlie  adventure 
would  at  least  give  us  something  to  think 
about ;  let's  try  it." 

"  All  right ;  but  how  can  we  get  down 
there  where  the  sun  starts  to  rise  ? " 
asked  the  American,  peering  cautiously 
over  the  edge  of  the  hole. 

"  There  must  be  some  way,"  answered 
Branasko.  "  Ah,  see !  further  to  the  left 
there  are  some  ledges;  let's  see  what  can 
be  done  that  way." 

"I  am  with  you." 

The  rays  of  the  departing  sun  were  al- 
most gone,  and  the  electric  lights  down 
among  the  machinery  seemed  afar  off  like 
stars  reflected  in  deep  water.  With  great 
difficulty  the  two  men  lowered  themselves 


120  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

from  one  sharp  ledge  to  another  till  they 
had  gone  half  down  to  the  bottom. 

"  It  is  no  use,"  said  Branasko,  peering 
over  the  lowest  ledge.  "  There  are  no  more 
ledges  and  this  one  juts  out  so  far  that  even 
if  there  were  smaller  ones  beneath  we 
could  not  get  to  them." 

"  That  is  true,"  agreed  the  American, 
"  but  look,  is  not  that  a  lake  beneath  ?  I 
think  it  must  be,  for  the  lights  are  reflected 
on  its  surface." 

"You  are  right,"  answered  Branasko; 
"  and  I  now  see  a  chance  for  us  to  get  down 
safely." 

"  How  ?  " 

"  The  workers  are  too  far  from  the  lake 
to  see  us  ;  we  can  drop  into  the  water  and 
swim  ashore." 

"  Would  they  not  hear  the  splashing  of 
our  bodies  ?  " 

"  I  think  not ;  but  first  let's  experiment 
with  a  big  stone." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  they 
secured  a  stone  weighing  about  seventy- 
five  pounds  and  brought  it  to  the  ledge. 
Carefully  poising  it  in  mid-air,  they  let  it 
go.  Down  it  went,  cutting  the  air  with 
a  sharp  whizzing  sound.  They  listened 
breathlessly,  but  heard  no  sound  as  the  rock 


CHANGING   SUN.  121 

struck  the  water,  and  the  men  among  the 
machinery  seemed  undisturbed.  Only  the 
widening  circles  of  rings  on  the  lake's  sur- 
face indicated  where  the  stone  had  fallen. 

"Good,"  ejaculated  the  Alphian ;  "are 
you  equal  to  such  a  plunge  ?  The  water 
nuist  be  deep,  and  we  won't  be  hurt  at  all 
if  only  we  can  keep  our  feet  downward  and 
hold  our  breath  long  enough.  Our  clothing 
\\ill  soon  dry  down  there,  for  feel  the 
warmth  that  comes  from  below." 

The  Alphian  slowly  crawled  out  on  the 
sharpest  projection  of  the  ledge.  "  Are  you 
willing  to  try  it?"  he  asked,  over  his 
shoulder. 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  wait  till  you  see  me  swim  ashore, 
and  then  follow." 

Johnston  shuddered  as  the  strong  fellow 
swung  himself  over  the  ledge  and  hung 
downward. 

"  Adieu,"  said  Branasko,  and  he  let  go. 
Down  he  fell,  as  straight  as  an  arrow,  into  the 
shadows  below.  For  an  instant  Johnston 
heard  the  fluttering  of  the  fellow's  clothing 
as  he  fell  through  the  darkness,  and  then 
there  was  no  sound  except  the  low  whirr  of 
the  cables  and  the  monotonous  hum  of  the 
great  wheels  beneath.   Then  the  smooth  sur- 


122  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

face  of  the  lake  was  broken  in  a  white  foam- 
ing spot,  and,  later,  he  saw  something  small 
and  dark  slowly  swimming  shoreward.  It 
was  Branasko,  and  the  men  to  the  right  had 
not  heard  or  seen  him. 

Johnston  saw  him  reach  the  shore,  then 
he  crawled  out  to  the  point  of  the  project- 
ing rock  and  tremblingly  lowered  himself 
till  he  hung  downward  as  Branasko  had 
done.  He  had  just  drawn  a  deep  breath 
preparatory  to  letting  go  his  hold,  when, 
chancing  to  look  down,  he  saw  a  long  nar- 
row barge  slowly  emerging  from  the  cliff 
directly  under  him.  For  an  instant  he  was 
so  much  startled  that  he  almost  lost  his  grip 
on  the  rock.  He  tried  to  climb  back  on  the 
ledge,  but  his  strength  was  gone.  He  felt 
that  he  could  not  hold  out  till  the  boat  had 
passed.  Death  was  before  him,  and  a  hor- 
rible one.  The  boat  seemed  to  crawl.  Every- 
thing was  a  blur  before  his  eyes.  His  fingers 
began  to  relax,  and  with  a  low  cry  he  fell. 


CHANGING   SUN.  123 


CHAPTER  X. 

To  Thorndyke  the  dark  corridor  seemed 
endless.  The  kmg's  last  words  had  now  a 
sinister  meaning,  and  Bernardino's  whis- 
pered warning  filled  him  with  dread.  "  Keep 
your  presence  of  mind,"  she  urged  ;  was  it 
then,  some  frightful  mental  ordeal  he  was 
about  to  pass  through  ? 

Presently  they  came  to  a  door.  Thorn- 
dyke  heard  his  guide  feeling  for  the  bolt 
and  key-hole.  The  rattling  of  the  keys 
sounded  like  a  ghostly  threat  in  the  empty 
corridors.  The  air  was  as  damp  as  a  fog, 
and  the  stones  were  cold  and  slimy.  After 
a  moment  the  guard  succeeded  in  unlocking 
tlie  door  and  roughly  pushed  the  English- 
man forward.  The  door  closed  with  a  little 
puff,  and  Thorndyke  felt  about  him  for  the 
guide ;  but  he  was  alone.  For  a  moment 
there  was  no  sound.  With  the  closing  of 
the  door  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  cut 
off  from  every  living  creature.  In  the 
awful  silence  he  could  hear  his  own  heart 
beating  like  a  drum. 


124  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

*'  Stand  where  you  are  !  "  came  in  a  hiss- 
ing whisper  from  tlie  darkness  near  by,  and 
then  tlie  invisible  whisperer  moved  away, 
making  a  weird  sound  as  he  slid  his  hand 
along  a  wall,  till  it  died  away  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

A  cold  thrill  ran  over  him.  He  was  a 
brave  man  and  feared  no  living  man  or 
beast,  but  the  superstitious  fears  of  his 
childhood  now  came  upon  him  with  re- 
doubled force.  For  several  minutes  he  did 
not  stir ;  presently  he  put  out,  his  hand  to 
the  door  and  his  blood  ran  cold.  There  was 
no  knob,  latch,  or  key-hole,  and  he  could 
feel  the  soft  padding  into  which  the  door 
closed  to  keep  out  sound.  Then  he  remem- 
bered the  warning  of  the  princess,  and  strove 
Avith  all  his  might  to  fight  down  his  ap- 
prehensions. "For  your  life  keep  your 
presence  of  mind,"  he  repeated  over  and 
over,  but  try  as  he  would  his  terror  over- 
powered him.  He  laughed  out  loud,  but  in 
the  dreadful  silence  and  darkness  his  laugh 
sounded  unearthly. 

A  cold  perspiration  broke  out  on  him.  It 
seemed  as  if  hours  passed  before  he  again 
heard  the  sliding  noise  on  the  wall.  Some 
one  was  coming  to  him. 

The  sound  grew  louder  and  nearer,  till 


CHANGING   SUN.  125 

a  firm  hand  was  laid  on  his  arm  ;  it  felt  as 
cold  as  ice  through  his  clotliing. 

"  Come,"  a  voice  whispered,  and  the 
Englishman  was  led  forward.  Presently 
another  d(wr  opened — a  door  that  closed 
after  them  without  any  sound.  Here  the 
silence  was  more  intensified,  the  darkness 
thicker  as  if  compressed  lilce  air. 

Hands  were  placed  on  the  shoulders  of 
Thorndyke  and  he  was  gently  forced  into  a 
chair.  As  soon  as  he  was  seated  two  metal 
clamps  grasped  like  a  vise  his  arms  between 
the  elbows  and  the  shoulders,  and  two  more 
fastened  round  his  anliles. 

There  was  a  faint  puif  of  air  from  the 
door  and  the  prisoner  felt  that  he  was  alone. 

Terror  held  Iiim  in  bondage.  He  tried  to 
think  of  Bernardino,  but  in  vain.  Did  they 
intend  to  drive  him  to  madness  ?  He  began 
to  suspect  that  the  king  had  discovered  his 
natural  superstition  and  liad  decided  to 
put  it  to  a  test.  What  he  had  undergone 
so  far  he  felt  was  but  the  introduction  to 
greater  terrors  in  store  for  him. 

There  was  a  sigh  far  away  in  the  dark- 
ness— then  a  groan  that  seemed  to  flit  about 
in  space,  as  if  seeking  to  escape  the  dark, 
and  then  died  away  in  a  low  moan  of  de- 
spair.    Before  him  the  blackness  seemed  to 


126  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

hang  like  a  dark  curtain  about  ten  yards  in 
front  of  him,  and  in  it  shone  a  tiny  speck 
of  light  no  larger  than  the  head  of  a  pin, 
and  which  was  so  bright  that  he  could  not 
look  at  it  steadily.  It  increased  to  the  size 
of  a  pea,  and  then  he  discovered  that,  at 
times,  it  would  seem  miles  away  in  space 
and  then  again  to  draw  quite  near  to  hand. 
Glancing  down,  he  noticed  that  it  cast  'a 
bright  round  spot  about  an  inch  in  diameter 
on  the  floor,  and  that  the  spot  was  slowly 
revolving  in  a  circle  so  small  that  its  motion 
was  hardly  observable.  Surely  the  mind  of 
a  superstitious  man  was  never  so  punished ! 
When  Thorndyke  looked  steadily  at  the 
spot,  the  black  floor  seemed  to  recede,  and 
the  spot  to  sink  far  down  into  the  empty 
darkness  below  like  a  solitary  star.  So  re- 
alistic was  this  that  the  Englishman  could 
not  keep  from  fancying  that  this  chair  was 
poised  in  some  way  over  fathomless  space. 
Presently  he  noticed  that  the  spot  had  ceased 
its  circular  movement  and  was  slowly — al- 
most as  slowly  as  the  movement  of  the  hand 
of  a  clock — advancing  in  a  straight  line  to- 
ward him. 

No  such  terror  had  ever  before  possessed 
the  stout  heart  of  the  Englishman.  As  the 
uncanny  spot,  ever  growing  brighter,  ad- 


CHANGING   SUN.  127 

vanced  toward  him,  he  thought  his  heart 
had  stopped  beating;  his  brain  was  in  a 
whirl.  After  a  long  while  the  spot  reached 
his  feet  and  began  to  climb  up  his  legs. 
With  a  sliudder  and  a  smothered  cvj^  he 
tried  to  draw  his  feet  away,  but  they  were 
too  firmly  manacled. 

"  It  is  searching  for  my  heart,"  thought 
Thoi'ndyke.  "  My  God,  when  it  reaches  it, 
I  shall  die  !  "  As  the  strange  spot,  gleam- 
ing like  a  burning  diamond  in  whose  heart 
leaped  a  thousand  different  colored  flames, 
and  which  seemed  possessed  of  some  strange 
hellish  purpose,  crossed  his  thighs  and  be- 
gan to  climb  up  his  body,  the  brain  of  the 
prisoner  seemed  on  fire.  He  tried  to  close 
his  eyes,  but,  horror  of  horrors  !  his  eyelids 
were  paralyzed.  It  was  almost  over  his 
heart,  and  Thorndyke  Avas  fainting  through 
sheer  mental  exhaustion  when  it  stopped, 
began  to  descend  slowly,  and,  then,  with  a 
rapid,  wavering  motion,  it  fell  to  the  floor, 
flashed  about  in  the  darkness,  and  vanished. 

An  hour  dragged  slowly  by.  What  would 
happen  next  ?  The  Englishman  felt  that 
his  frightful  ordeal  was  not  over.  To  his 
surprise  the  darkness  began  to  lighten  till 
he  could  see  dimly  the  outlines  of  the 
chamber.    It  was  bare  save  for  the  chair 


128  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

he  occupied  against  a  wall,  and  a  couch  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  room.  The  couch 
held  something  which  looked  like  a  human 
hodj  covered  with  a  white  cloth.  He  could 
see  where  the  sheet  rounded  over  the  head 
and  rose  sharply  at  the  feet. 

Something  told  him  that  it  was  a  corpse 
and  a  new  terror  possessed  him.  For 
several  minutes  he  gazed  at  the  couch  in 
dreadful  suspense,  then  his  heart  stopped 
pulsing  as  the  figure  on  the  couch  began  to 
move.  Slowly  the  sheet  fell  from  the  head 
and  the  figure  sat  up  stiffly.  There  was, a 
faint  hum  of  hidden  machinery  at  the  couch, 
and  a  flashing  blue  and  green  line  running 
from  the  couch  to  the  Avail  betrayed  the 
presence  of  an  electric  wire. 

Slowly  the  figure  rose,  and  with  creaking, 
rattling  joints  stood  erect.  Pale  lights 
shone  in  the  orbits  of  the  eyes  and  the 
sound  of  harsh  automatic  breathing  came 
from  the  mouth  and  nostrils.  Slowly  and 
haltingly  the  figure  advanced  toward  Thorn- 
dyke.  The  poor  fellow  tried  to  wrench 
himself  free  from  the  chair,  but  he  could 
not  stir  an  inch.  On  came  the  figure,  its 
long  arms  swinging  mechanically,  and  its 
feet  slurring  over  the  stone  pavement. 

When  within  ten  feet  of  the  Englishman 


CHANGING   SUN.  129 

it  stopped,  nodded  its  head  three  or  four 
times,  and  slowly  opened  its  mouth.  There 
was  a  sharp,  whirring  noise,  such  as  comes 
from  a  phonograph,  and  a  voice  spoke  : 

"  My  voice  shall  sound  on  earth  for  a 
million  years  after  my  spirit  has  left  my 
body  ;  and  I  shall  wander  about  my  dark 
dungeon  as  a  warning  to  men  not  to  do  as  I 
have  done." 

The  voice  ceased,  but  the  whirring  sound 
in  the  creature's  breast  went  on.  The  figure 
shambled  nearer  to  Thorndyke  and  the 
voice  began  again  : 

"  I  disobeyed  the  laws  of  great  Alpha  and 
her  imperial  king  and  am  to  die.  Beware 
of  the  temptation  to  search  into  the  royal 
motives  or  attempt  to  escape.  The  fate  of 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Alpha,  the  wonderful 
Land  of  the  Changing  Sun,  is  in  the  hands 
of  its  ruler.  Beware  !  My  death-torture  is 
to  be  lingering  and  horrible.  I  sink  into 
deepest  dejection.  I  was  eager  to  return  to 
my  native  land  and  tried  to  escape.  Behold 
my  punishment !  Even  my  bones  and  flesh 
will  not  be  allowed  to  rest  or  decay.  Be- 
ware, the  king  is  just  and  good,  but  he  will 
be  obeyed !  " 

Slowly  the  figure  retreated  toward  the 

couch  and  lay  down  on  it.    The  whirring 
9 


130  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

sound  ceased,  the  light  along  the  wire  went 
out,  and  the  darkness  thickened  till  the 
couch  and  the  outlines  of  the  chamber  were 
obscured.  Then  Thorndyke's  chair  was  lift- 
ed, as  if  by  unseen  hands,  and  he  was  borne 
backward.  In  a  moment  he  felt  the  cool, 
damp  air  of  the  corridor,  and  some  one 
raised  him  to  his  feet  and  led  him  back  to 
the  throne-room. 

In  the  bright  light  which  burst  on  him  as 
the  door  opened,  the  beautiful  women  and 
handsome  men  moving  about  the  throne 
were  to  him  like  a  glimpse  of  Paradise. 
The  attendant  left  him  at  the  door  and  he 
walked  in,  so  dazed  and  weak  that  he  hardly 
knew  what  to  do.  No  one  seemed  to  notice 
him  and  the  king  was  engaged  in  an  ani- 
mated conversation  with  several  ladies  who 
were  sitting  at  his  feet. 

In  a  bevy  of  women  Thorndyke  noticed 
Bernardino.  She  gave  him  a  quick,  sympa- 
thetic glance  of  recognition  and  then  looked 
down  discreetly.  Presently  she  left  the 
others  and  moved  on  till  she  had  disap- 
peared behind  a  great  carved  wine-cistern 
which  stood  on  the  backs  of  four  crouching 
golden  leopards  in  a  retired  part  of  the 
room.  Something  in  her  sudden  movement 
made  the  Enghshman  think  she  wanted  to 


CHANGING   SUN.  131 

speak  to  him,  and  he  went  to  her.  He  was 
not  mistaken,  for  she  smiled,  as  he  ap- 
proached. 

"  I  am  glad,"  she  whispered,  touching  his 
arm  impulsively,  and  then  quickly  removing 
her  hand  as  if  afraid  of  detection. 

"  Glad  of  what?"  he  asked. 

"  Glad  that  you  stood  that — that  torture 
so  well ;  several  men  have  died  in  that  chair 
and  some  went  mad." 

"  I  remembered  your  advice ;  that  saved 
me." 

"  I  have  a  plan  for  us  to  try  to  rescue 
your  friend." 

"  Ah,  I  had  forgotten  him !  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Captain  Tradmos  likes  you  and  has  con- 
sented to  aid  us.     We  shall  need  an  air-ship^ 
and  he  has  one  at  his  disposal  which  is  used 
only  for  governmental  purposes." 

"  What  do  you  want  with  the  air-ship?" 

"  To  go  beyond  and  over  the  great  wall." 

"  But  can  we  get  away  from  here  without 
being  seen  ?  " 

"  Under  ordinary  circumstances,  neither 
by  day  nor  night,  but  to-morrow  the  king 
has  planned  to  let  his  people  witness  a 
*  War  of  the  Elements.'  " 

"  A  War  of  the  Elements?" 

"  Yes,  the  grandest /^^e  of  Alpha.    There 


182  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

will  be  a  frightful  storm  in  the  sky ;  no 
light  for  hours ;  the  thunder  will  be  mu- 
sical and  the  lightning  will  seem  to  set  the 
world  on  fire.  That  will  be  our  chance. 
When  it  is  darkest  we  shall  try  to  get  away 
unseen.  We  may  fail.  Such  a  daring  thing 
has  never  been  attempted  by  any  one.  If 
we  are  detected  we  shall  suffer  death  as  the 
penalty,  the  king  could  never  pardon  such  a 
bold  violation  of  law." 


CHANGING   SUN.  133 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Johnston  clung  tenaciously  to  the  rock. 
He  tried  to  look  down "  to  see  if  the  barge 
had  passed  beneath  him,  but  the  intense 
strain  on  his  arm  now  drew  his  head  back, 
so  that  he  coukl  not  do  so.  Once  more  he 
made  an  effort  to  regain  his  position  on  the 
rock,  but  he  was  not  able  to  raise  himself  an 
inch. 

He  felt  certain  that  the  fall  would  kill 
him,  and  he  groaned  in  agony.  His  fingers 
were  benumbed  and  beginning  to  slip.  Then 
he  fell.  The  air  whizzed  in  his  ears.  He 
tried  to  keep  his  feet  downward,  but  it  was 
no  use.  He  was  whirled  heels  over  head 
many  times,  and  his  senses  were  leaving 
him  when  he  was  restored  b}''  a  plunge  into 
the  cold  water. 

Down  he  sank.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
never  would  lose  his  momentum  and  that 
lie  would  strangle  before  he  could  rise  to  the 
surface.  Finally,  however,  he  came  up  more 
dead  than  alive.     He  had  narrowly  missed 


134  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

the  flat-boat,  for  he  saw  it  receding  from 
him  only  a  few  yards  away.  On  the  shore 
stood  Branasko  motioning  to  him;  and, 
slowly,  for  his  strength  was  almost  gone, 
Johnston  swam  toward  him. 

The  latter  waded  out  into  the  shallow 
water  and  drew  him  ashore. 

"  You  had  a  narrow  escape,"  he  said,  with 
a  dry  laugh.  "  I  saw  the  boat  come  from 
under  the  cliff  just  as  you  hung  down  from 
the  ledge.  At  first  I  hoped  that  you  would 
get  back  on  the  rock,  but  when  I  saw  you 
try  and  do  it  and  fail  I  thought  that  you 
were  lost." 

The  American  could  not  speak  for  ex- 
haustion ;  but,  as  he  looked  at  the  depart- 
ing craft  with  concern,  Branasko  laughed 
again  :  "  Oh,  you  thought  it  had  a  crew  ; 
so  did  I  at  first,  but  it  has  no  one  aboard. 
It  is  drawn  by  a  cable,  and  seems  to  be 
laden  with  coal." 

"Did  they  notice  our  fall  up  there?" 
panted  Johnston,  nodding  toward  the  lights 
in  the  distance. 

"No,  they  are  farther  away  than  I 
thought." 

"  Well,  what  ought  we  to  do?  " 

"  Hide  here  among  the  rocks  till  our 
clothing  dries  and  then  look  about  us.     We 


CHANGING   SUN.  135 

have  nearly  twenty-four  hours  to  wait  for 
the  sun  to  return  through  the  tunnel." 

"  Where  is  the  tunnel  ?  " 

''  Over  on  the  other  side  of  that  black  hill. 
There,  you  can  see  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel 
through  which  the  sun  comes." 

"  We  need  sleep,"  said  the  Alphian,  when 
their  clothing  was  dry,  "  and  it  may  be  a  long 
time  before  we  get  a  chance  to  get  it.  Let 
us  lie  down  in  the  shadow  of  that  rock  and 
rest." 

Johnston  consented,  and,  lying  down  to- 
gether, they  soon  dropped  asleep.  They 
slept  soundly. 

Johnston  was  the  first  to  awake.  He  felt 
so  refreshed  that  he  knew  he  must  liave 
been  unconscious  several  hours.  He  touched 
Branasko  and  the  latter  sat  up  and  rubbed 
his  eyes  and  looked  about  him  bewildered. 

"  I  had  a  horrible  dream,"  he  said  shud- 
dering. "  I  thought  that  we  were  in  the  sun 
and  over  the  capital  city  when  it  fell  down. 
I  thought  the  fall  was  awful,  and  that  all 
Alpha  was  aflame.  Then  the  fires  Avent  out. 
Everything  was  black,  and  the  whole  world 
rang  with  cries  of  terrified  people.  Ugh ! 
I  don't  want  to  dream  so  again  ;  I'd  rather 
not  sleep  at  all.     But  hush  !  what  is  that?  " 

Far  away,  as  if  in  the  centre  of  the  earth, 


136  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

they  heard  a  low  monotonous  rumbling. 
They  listened  breathlessly.  Every  moment 
the  sound  increased.  They  could  feel  the 
ground  trembling  as  if  shaken  by  an  earth- 
quake. 

"It  is  the  coming  sun,"  said  Branasko. 
"We  must  get  nearer  the  tunnel  and  see 
what  can  be  done.  It  would  be  useless  to 
try  to  go  back  now." 

Stealing  along  in  the  shadow  of  the  cliffs 
to  keep  from  being  seen  by  the  workmen  on 
the  plateau  above,  they  climbed  over  a  rocky 
incline  and  saw  in  the  side  of  a  towering 
cliff,  a  great  black  hole.  It  was  the  mouth 
of  the  tunnel.  Into  it  ran  eight  wide  tracks 
of  railway  and  six  mammoth  cables  each 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  diameter. 

"  The  sun  cannot  be  far  away  now,"  re- 
marked the  Alphian. 

"Is  it  not  lighted?" 

"  I  presume  not ;  I  think  it  comes  through 
in  darkness.  The  light  is  saved  for  its 
passage  over  Alpha." 

"  Would  it  not  be  as  safe  for  us  to  attempt 
to  walk  through  the  tunnel  to  the  palace  of 
the  king?" 

"  Never ;  it  would  be  over  fifty  miles  in 
utter  darkness.  There  may  be  a  thousand 
trestles  and  bridges  over  frightful  chasms: 


CHANGING   SUN.  137 

for  the  most  part,  I  have  heard  the  tunnel 
is  a  natural  channel  or  a  succession  of 
caverns  united  hy  tunnels.  The  other  is 
the  safer  way,  though  it  certainly  is  risky 
enough." 

Louder  and  nearer  grew  the  rumbling 
noise,  and  a  faint  light  began  to  shine  from 
the  tunnel  and  flash  on  the  cliff  opposite. 

"  It  is  the  sun's  headlight,"  explained 
Branasko. 

Johnston  was  thrilled  to  the  centre  of  his 
being  as  he  saw  the  light  playing  over  the 
polished  tracks  and  cables  and  illuminating 
the  walls  of  the  great  tunnel. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  deep,  mellow-toned 
stroke  of  a  bell  in  the  sun,  and,  as  the  two 
men  shrank  involuntarily  into  tlie  deeper 
shade  of  the  cliff,  the  great  globe,  a  stu- 
pendous ball  of  crystal,  five  hundred  feet  in 
height,  slowly  emerged  from  the  mouth  of 
the  tunnel  and  came  to  a  stop  under  the 
opening  in  the  rock  which  led  to  the  space 
above. 

"  What  had  we  better  do  now  ? "  said 
Johnston. 

'.'  Wait,"  cautioned  Branasko,  and  he 
drew  the  American  to  a  great  bowlder 
nearer  the  sun,  from  behind  wliich  they 
could,  without  being  seen,  watch  the  action 


138  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

of  the  crowd  of  workmen  that  was  hurriedly 
approachmg.  They  placed  ladders  of  steel 
against  the  sides  of  the  sun  and  swarmed 
over  it  like  bees. 

"  They  are  cleaning  the  glass  and  adjust- 
ing the  lights,"  said  the  Alphian ;  "  wait 
till  they  go  round  to  the  other  side.  Don't 
you  see  that  square  opening  near  the 
ground  ? " 

The  American  nodded. 

"  It  is  the  door,"  said  Branasko,  "  and  we 
must  try  to  enter  it  while  they  are  on  the 
other  side.  Let  us  slip  nearer;  there  is 
another  rock  ahead  that  we  can  hide  behind." 
Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Branasko 
led  the  way,  stooping  near  to  the  ground 
until  both  were  safely  ensconced  behind  the 
bowlder  in  question.  They  were  now  so 
near  that  they  could  hear  the  electricians 
rubbing  the  glass. 

One  who  seemed  to  be  superintending  the 
work  opened  the  door  and  went  into  the 
sun  and  lighted  a  bright  light.  From  where 
they  were  crouched  Johnston  and  Branasko 
caught  a  view  of  a  little  hall,  a  flight  of 
stairs,  and  some  pictures  on  the  walls. 

Presently  the  man  extinguished  the  light 
and  came  out. 

"  They  are  removing  their  ladders  from 


CHANGING   SUN.  139 

this  side,"  said  Branasko  in  a  whisper. 
"  Be  ready ;  we  must  act  quickly  and  with- 
out a  particle  of  sound.  Run  straight  for 
that  door  and  climb  up  the  steps  imme- 
diately." 

The  men  had  all  gone  round  to  the  other 
side,  and  no  one  was  in  sight. 

"  Quick !  Follow  me,"  and  bending  low 
to  the  earth  the  Alphian  darted  across  the 
intervening  space  and  into  the  doorway. 
Johnston  was  quite  as  successful.  As  he 
entered  the  door  he  saw  Branasko  crawling 
up  the  carpeted  stairs  ahead  of  him,  and,  on 
his  all-fours,  he  followed.  The  first  landing 
was  large,  and  there  in  the  wall  they  found 
a  closet.  It  would  have  been  dark  but  for  a 
dim  light  that  streamed  down  from  above. 
Branasko  opened  the  closet  door.  "  We  must 
hide  here  for  the  present,"  he  whispered. 

They  had  barely  got  seated  on  the  floor 
and  closed  the  door  when  a  bright  light 
broke  round  them  and  they  heard  some- 
body ascending  the  stairs.  The  person 
passed  by  and  went  on  further  up.  The 
two  adventurers  dared  not  exchange  a  word. 
They  could  hear  the  footsteps  above  and 
the  sound  of  the  electricians  outside  as  they 
polished  the  lights  and  moved  their  ladders 
from  place  to  place. 


140  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

"  If  he  should  stay,  what  could  we 
do?"  asked  Johnston,  after  a  long  pause, 
and  when  the  footsteps  sounded  farther 
away. 

"  There  are  two  of  us  and  one  of  him," 
grimly  replied  the  brawny  Alphian. 

Johnston  shuddered.  "Let's  not  com- 
mit murder  in  any  emergency,"  he  said. 

"  It  would  not  be  murder ;  every  man  has 
a  right  to  save  his  own  life." 

Nothing  more  was  said  just  then,  for  the 
footsteps  were  growing  nearer.  The  man 
was  descending.  He  crossed  the  landing 
they  were  on  and  went  down  the  last  flight 
of  stairs  and  out  of  the  door. 

Branasko  rubbed  his  rough  hands  to- 
gether. "  We  are  going  alone,"  he  said  with 
satisfaction. 

There  was  a  sound  of  sliding  ladders  on 
the  walls  outside.  The  workmen  had  fin- 
ished their  task.  A  moment  later  a  great 
bell  overhead  rang  mellowly;  the  colossal 
sphere  trembled  and  rocked  and  then  rose 
and  swung  easily  forward  like  the  car  of  a 
balloon. 

"  We  are  rising,"  said  the  Alphian,  in  a 
tone  of  superstitious  awe.    Johnston  said" 
nothing.     There  was  a  cool,  sinking  sensa- 
tion in  his  stomach  and  his  head  was  swim- 


/ 
CHANGING   SUN.  141 

ming.  Branasko,  however,  was  in  posses- 
sion of  all  his  faculties. 

"  We  shall  soon  be  through  the  shaft  we 
first  discovered  and  throw  our  light  over 
Alpha."  As  he  spoke  the  space  about  them 
broke  into  blinding  brightness  and  for  a  few 
moments  they  could  only  open  their  eyes 
for  an  instant  at  a  time.  After  a  while 
Branasko  opened  the  closet  door  and  they 
went  up  the  stairs. 

The  first  apartment  they  entered  was 
most  luxuriously  furnished.  Sofas,  couches 
and  reclining-chairs  were  scattered  here  and 
there  over  the  elegant  carpet,  and  statues 
of  gold  and  marble  stood  in  alcoves  and 
niches  and  strange  stereopticon  lanterns, 
hanging  from  the  ceiling  threw  ever-chang- 
ing and  life-like  pictures  on  the  walls. 
The  light  streamed  in  from  without  through 
small  circular  windows.  After  they  had 
walked  about  the  room  for  some  minutes, 
the  Alphian  pointed  to  a  half-open  door  and 
a  staircase  at  one  side  of  the  room. 

"  I  think  it  leads  to  some  sort  of  observa- 
tory on  top,  "  he  said.  "I  have  heard  that 
when  the  royal  family  makes  this  voyage 
they  are  fond  of  looking  out  from  it.  Sup- 
pose we  see." 

Johnston  acquiesced,  and  Bransko  oj^ened 


142  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

the  door.  From  the  increased  brightness 
that  came  in  they  were  assured  that  the 
stairs  led  outward. 

Ascending  many  flights  of  stairs  and  trav- 
ersing a  narrow  winding  gallery  which 
seemed  to  be  gradually  sloping  upward, 
they  finally  reached  the  outside,  and  found 
themselves  on  a  platform  about  forty  feet 
square  surrounded'  by  iron  balustrades. 
Above  hung  impenetrable  blackness,  below 
curved  a  majestic  sphere  of  white  light. 


CHANGING   SUN.  143 


CHAPTER    XII. 

The  sunlight  was  fading  into  gray  when 
the  princess  turned  to  leave  Thorn  dyke. 
Night  was  drawing  near. 

"Have  they  assigned  you  a  chamber 
yet  ?  "  she  paused  to  ask. 

«  No." 

"  Then  they  have  overlooked  it ;  I  shall 
remind  the  king." 

Her  beautiful,  lithe  form  was  clearly  out- 
lined against  the  red  glow  of  the  massive 
swinging  lamp  as  she  moved  gracefully 
away,  and  Thorndyke's  heart  bounded  with 
admiration  and  hope  as  he  thought  of  her 
growing  regard  for  him.  He  resumed  his 
seat  among  the  flowers,  listening,  as  if  in  a 
delightful  dream,  to  the  seductive  music 
from  bands  in  different  parts  of  the  palace 
and  the  never-ceasing  sound  in  the  air 
which  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  concentrated 
echo  of  all  the  sounds  in  the  strange  coun- 
try rebounding  from  the  vast  cavern  roof. 

It  grew  darker.    The  gray  outside  had 


144  THE  LA>fD   OF   THE 

changed  to  purple.  In  the  palace  the 
brilliant  electric  lights  in  prismatic  globes 
refused  to  allow  the  day  to  die.  lie  was 
thinking  of  returning  to  the  throne-room 
when  a  page  in  silken  attire  approached 
from  the  direction  of  the  king's  quarters. 

"  To  your  chambers,  master,"  he  an- 
nounced, bowing  respectfully. 

Thorndyke  arose  and  followed  him  to  an 
elevator  near  by.  They  ascended  to  the 
highest  balcony  of  the  great  rotunda.  Here 
they  alighted  and  turned  to  the  right,  the 
page  leading  the  way,  a  key  in  his  hand. 
Presently  the  page  stopped  at  a  door  and 
unlocked  it  and  preceded  the  Englishman 
into  the  room.  As  they  entered  an  electric 
light  in  a  chandelier  flashed  up  automatic- 
ally. 

It  was  a  sumptuous  apartment,  and  ad- 
joining it  were  several  connecting  rooms  all 
elegantly  furnished.  The  page  crossed  the 
room  and  opened  a  door  to  a  little  stairway. 

"  It  leads  to  the  roof,"  he  said.  "  The 
princess  told  me  to  call  your  attention  to  it, 
that  you  might  go  out  and  view  the  star- 
light." 

When  the  page  had  retired,  Thorndyke, 
feeling  lonely,  ascended  the  stairs  to  the 
roof.     It  was  perfectly  flat  save  for  the 


CHANGING   SUN.  145 

great  dome  which  stood  in  the  centre  and 
the  numerous  pinnacles  and  cupolas  on 
every  hand,  and  was  very  spacious.  The 
Englishman's  loneliness  increased,  for  no 
matter  in  what  direction  he  looked,  there 
was  not  a  living  soul  in  sight.  Far  in  front 
of  him  he  saw  a  stone  parapet.  He  went 
to  this  and  looked  down  on  the  city.  The 
electric  lights  were  vari-colored,  and  ar- 
ranged so  that  when  seen  from  a  distance 
or  from  a  great  height  they  assumed  artistic 
designs  that  were  beautiful  to  behold. 

The  regular  streets  and  rows  of  buildings 
stretched  away  till  the  light  in  the  farthest 
distance  seemed  an  ocean  of  blending  colors. 
Overhead  the  vault  was  black,  and  only  here 
and  there  shone  a  star ;  but  as  he  looked 
upwai  d  they  began  to  flash  into  being,  and 
so  rapidly  that  the  sky  seemed  a  vast  battle- 
field of  electricity. 

"  AVonderful !  Wonderful !  "  he  ejacu- 
lated enthusiastically,  when  the  black  dome 
was  filled  with  twinkling  stars.  He  leaned 
for  a  long  time  against  the  parapet,  listen- 
ing to  the  music  from  the  streets  below, 
and  watching  the  flying-machines  with  their 
vari-colored  lights  rise  from  the  little  parks 
at  the  intersection  of  the  streets  and  dart 
away  over  the  roofs  like  big  fireflies.  Then 
10 


146  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

he  began  to  feel  sleepy,  and,  going  back  to 
his  chambers,  he  retired. 

When  he  awoke  the  next  morning,  the 
rosy  glow  of  the  sun  was  shining  in  at  his 
windows.  On  rising  he  was  surprised  to 
find  a  delectable  breakfast  spread  on  a  table 
in  his  sitting-room. 

"  Treating  me  like  a  lord,  any  way,"  he 
said  drily.  "  I  can't  say  I  dislike  the  thing 
as  a  whole."  When  he  had  satisfied  his 
sharp  hunger  he  went  out  into  a  corridor 
and  seeing  an  elevator  he  entered  it  and 
went  down  to  the  throne-room.  The  king 
was  just  leaving  his  throne,  but  seeing 
Thorndyke  he  turned  to  him  with  a  smile. 

"  How  did  you  sleep  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Well,  indeed,"  replied  Thorndyke,  with 
a  low  bow. 

"  I  cannot  talk  to  you  now.  I  intended 
to,  but  I  have  promised  my  people  a  '  War 
of  the  Elements '  to-day  and  am  busy.  You 
will  enjoy  it,  I  trust." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,  your  Majesty." 

"  Well,  be  about  the  palace,  for  it  is  a 
good  point  from  which  to  view  the  display." 

With  these  words  he  turned  away  and 
the  Englishman,  as  if  drawn  there  by  the 
memory  of  his  last  conversation  with  Ber- 
nardino, sought  the  retreat  where  he  had 


CHANGING   SUN.  147 

bidden  her  good-night.  He  sat  down  on 
the  seat  they  had  occupied,  and  gave  him- 
self over  to  delightful  reveries  about  her 
beauty  and  loveliness  of  nature.  Looking 
up  suddenly  he  saw  a  pair  of  white  hands 
part  the  palm  leaves  in  front  of  him  and 
the  subject  of  his  thoughts  emerged  into 
view. 

She  wore  a  regal  gown  and  beautiful  silken 
head-dress  set  with  fine  gems,  and  gave  him 
a  warm  glance  of  friendly  greeting. 

"  I  half  hoped  to  find  you  here,"  she  said, 
blushing  modestly  under  his  ardent  gaze; 
"  that  is,  I  knew  you  would  not  know  where 

to  go "   She  paused,  her  face  suffused 

with  blushes. 

"  I  did  not  hope  to  find  you  here,"  he  said, 
coming  to  her  aid  gallantly,  "  but  it  was  a 
delight  to  sit  here  where  I  last  saw  you." 

■She  blushed  even  deeper,  and  a  pleased 
look  flashed  into  her  eyes. 

"  It  was  important  that  I  should  see  you 
this  morning,"  she  continued,  with  a  wo- 
manly desire  to  disguise  her  own  feeling. 
"  I  wanted  to  tell  you  where  to  meet  me 
when  the  storm  begins." 

"Where?"  he  asked. 

"  On  the  roof  of  the  palace,  near  the  stairs 
leading  down  to  your  chambers.    At  first  it 


148  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

will  be  very  dark,  and  it  is  then  ihat  we 
must  get  out  of  sight  of  the  palace.  No  other 
fiying-machines  will  be  in  the  air,  and  Cap- 
tain Tradmos  thinks,  if  we  are  very  careful, 
we  can  get  away  safely  before  the  display  of 
lightning." 

"  If  we  find  my  friend  what  can  we  do 
with  him?" 

She  hesitated  a  moment,  a  look  of  per- 
plexity on  her  face,  then  she  said : 

"  We  can  bring  him  back  and  keep  him 
hidden  in  your  chambers  till  some  better  ar- 
rangement can  be  made.  We  shall  think  of 
some  expedient  before  long,  but  at  present 
he  must  be  saved  from  starvation." 

Thorndyke  attempted  to  draw  her  to  a 
seat  beside  him,  but  she  held  back.  "  No," 
she  said  resolutely,  "  it  would  never  do  for 
us  to  be  seen  together.  If  my  father  should 
suspect  anything  now,  all  hope  would  be 
lost." 

Thorndyke  reluctantly  released  her  hand. 

"  You  are  right,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he 
said  humbly.  "  I  shall  meet  you  promptly. 
Of  course  I  want  to  save  poor  Johnston,  but 
the  delight  of  being  with  you  again,  even  for 
a  moment,  so  intoxicates  me  that  I  forget 
even  my  duty  to  him." 

After  she  left  him  he  Avandered  out  in  the 


CHAKGTKG   SUN.  149 

streets  along  the  busy  thoroughfares,  and 
into  the  beautiful  parks,  the  flowers  and 
foliage  changing  color  as  each  new  hour 
dawned.  The  fragrance  of  the  flowers  de- 
lighted his  sense  of  smell,  and  the  luscious 
fruits  hung  from  vine  and  tree  in  great 
abundance. 

He  was  impatient  for  the  time  to  arrive 
at  which  he  was  to  meet  the  princess.  After 
awhile  he  noticed  the  people  closing  the 
shops  and  booths,  and  in  holiday  dress  going 
to  the  parks  and  public  squares.  He 
hastened  to  the  palace.  The  great  rotunda 
and  the  throne-room  were  energetically 
astir.  Everybody  wore  rich  apparel  and 
was  talking  of  the  coming  fete.  The  king 
was  on  his  throne  surrounded  by  his  men  of 
science.  In  a  cluster  of  ladies  in  court  dress, 
the  Englishman  recognized  Bernardino. 
Catching  his  eye,  she  looked  startled  for  an 
instant,  and,  then,  with '  a  furtive  glance  at 
the  king,  she  swept  her  eyes  back  to  Thorn- 
dyke  and  raised  them  significantly  toward 
his  chambers.  He  understood,  and  his  quick 
movement  was  his  reply.  He  turned  imme- 
diately to  an  elevator  that  was  going  up, 
and  entered  it.  Again  he  was  alone  on  the 
palace  roof.  The  color  of  the  sunlight 
looked  so  natural  that  he  studied  it  closely 


150  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

to  see  if  he  could  not  detect  something  arti- 
ficial in  its  appearance,  but  in  vain.  He 
found  that  it  did  not  pain  his  eyes  to  look 
at  the  sun  steadily.  He  took  from  his  pock- 
et a  small  sunglass,  and  focussed  the  rays  on 
his  hand,  but  the  heat  was  not  intensified 
sufiiciently  to  burn  him. 

Just  then  he  heard  a  loud  blast  of  a  trum- 
pet in  a  tall  tower  to  the  left  of  the  palace. 
It  seemed  a  momentous  signal.  The  jos- 
tling crowds  in  the  streets  below  suddenly 
stood  motionless.  Every  eye  was  raised  to 
the  sky.  Not  a  sound  broke  the  stillness. 
Following  the  glances  of  the  crowd  a  few 
minutes  later,  Thorndyke  noticed  a  dark 
cloud  rising  in  the  west,  and  spreading  along 
the  horizon.  A  feeling  of  awe  came  over 
him  as  it  gradually  increased  in  volume,  and, 
in  vast  black  billows,  began  to  roll  up  toward 
the  sun. 

Suddenly  out  of  the  stillness  came  a  far- 
away rumble  like  a  fusilade  of  cannon,  now 
dying  down  low,  again  reaching  such  a  height 
that  it  pained  the  ears.  Belated  flying- 
machines  darted  across  the  sky  here  and 
there,  like  storm-frightened  birds,  but  they 
soon  settled  to  earth.  Every  eye  was  on~ 
the  cloud  which  was  now  gashed  with  daz- 
zling,   vivid,    electric  flashes.     Thorndyke 


CHANGING    SUN.  151 

looked  over  the  vast  roof.  He  was  alone. 
He  walked  to  the  western  parapet  to  get  a 
broader  view. 

The  clouds  had  increased  till  almost  a 
third  of  the  heavens  were  obscured  by  the 
madly  whirling  blackness.  There  was  a 
rumble  in  the  cloud,  or  beyond  it,  like  thun- 
der, and  yet  it  was  not,  unless  thunder  can 
be  attuned,  for  the  sound  was  like  the  music 
of  a  great  orchestra  magnified  a  thousand- 
fold. The  grand  harmony  died  down. 
There  was  a  blinding  flash  of  electricity  in 
the  clouds,  and  the  Englishman  involuntarily 
covered  his  eyes  with  his  hands.  When  he 
looked  again  the  blackness  was  covering  the 
sun.  For  a  moment  its  disk  showed  blood- 
red  through  the  fringe  of  the  cloud  and  then 
disappeared.  Total  darkness  fell  on  every- 
thing. 

The  silence  was  profound.  The  very  air 
seemed  stagnant. 

Then  the  wind  overhead,  by  some  unseen 
force,  was  lashed  into  fury,  and  all  the  sky 
was  filled  with  whirlpools  of  deeper  blackness. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  flash  of  soft  golden 
light ;  this  was  followed  by  streams  of  pink, 
of  blue  and  of  purple  till  the  whole  heavens 
were  hung  with  banners,  flags,  and  rain- 
bows of  flame.     Again  darkness  fell,  and  it 


152  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

seemed  all  the  deeper  after  the  gorgeous 
scene  which  had  preceded  it.  Thorndyke 
strained  his  sight  to  detect  something  mov- 
ing below,  but  nothing  could  be  seen,  and 
no  sound  came  up  from  the  motionless 
crowds. 

Behind  him  he  heard  a  soft  footstep  on 
the  stone  tiling.  It  drew  nearer.  A  hand 
was  being  carefully  slid  along  the  parapet. 
The  hand  reached  him  and  touched  his 
arm. 

It  was  the  princess.  "  Ah,  I  have  at  last 
found  you,"  she  whispered,  "  I  saw  you  in 
the  lightning,  but  lost  you  again." 

He  put  his  arm  round  her  and  drew  her 
into  his  embrace.  He  tried  to  speak,  but 
uttered  only  an  inarticulate  sound. 

"  I  could  not  possibly  come  earlier,"  she 
apologized,  nestling  against  him  so  closely 
that  he  could  feel  the  quick  and  excited 
beating  of  her  heart.  "  My  father  kept  me 
with  him  till  only  a  moment  ago.  Captain 
Tradmos  will  be  here  soon." 

"  When  do  we  start  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  That  is  the  trouble,"  she  replied.     "  We 
had  counted  on  getting  away   in   the  dark-  ^ 
ness,  before  the  display   of  lightning,  bnt 
there  is  more  danger  now.     If  our  flying- 
machine    were    noticed    the    search-lights 


CHANGING   SITN.  153 

would  be  turned  on  us  and  we  would  be 
discovered  at  once." 

"  But  even  if  we  get  safely  away  in  the 
darkness  when  could  we  return  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  would  be  easy,"  she  replied. 
"  As  soon  as  the  fete  is  over,  commerce  will 
be  resumed  and  the  air  will  be  filled  with 
air-ships  that  have  been  delayed  in  their 
regular  business,  and,  in  the  disguises 
which  I  have  for  us  both,  we  could  come 
back  without  rousing  suspicion.  We  could 
alight  in  Winter  Park  and  return  home 
later." 

"  What  is  Winter  Park?" 

"You  have  not. seen  it?  You  must  do 
so  ;  it  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  Alpha.  It  is 
a  vast  park  enclosed  with  high  walls  and 
covered  with  a  roof  of  glass.  Inside  the 
snow  falls,  and  we  have  sleighing  and  coast- 
ing and  hikes  of  ice  for  skating.  It  was  an 
invention  of  the  king.  The  snowstorms 
there  are  beautiful." 

Thorndyke's  reply  was  drowned  in  a  har- 
monious explosion  like  that  of  tuned  can- 
non ;  this  was  followed  by  the  chimes  of 
great  bells  which  seemed  to  swing  back  and 
forth  miles  overhead. 

"  Listen  ! "  whispered  Bernardino,  "  father 
calls  it  '  musical  thunder,'  and  he  declares 


154  THE   LAND   OF    THE 

that  it  is  produced  in  no  other  country  but 
this." 

<'  It  is  not ;  he  is  right."  And  the  heart 
of  the  Enghshman  was  stirred  by  deep 
emotion.  He  liad  never  dreamed  tliat  any- 
thing could  so  completely  chain  his  fancy 
and  elevate  his  imagination  as  what  he 
heard.  The  musical  clangor  died  down. 
The  strange  harmony  grew  more  entranc- 
ing as  it  softened.  Then  the  whole  eastern 
sky  began  to  flush  with  rosy,  shimmering 
light. 

"  My  father  calls  this  the  *  Ideal  Dawn  of 
Day,'  "  whispered  Bernardino.  "  See  the 
faint  golden  halo  near  the  horizon ;  that  is 
where  the  sun  is  supposed  to  be." 

"  How  is  it  done  ?  "  asked  the  English- 
man. 

"  Few  of  our  people  know.  It  is  a  secret 
held  only  by  the  king  and  half  a  dozen 
scientists.  The  whole  thing,  however,  is 
operated  by  two  men  in  a  room  in  the  dome 
of  the  palace.  The  musician  is  a  young 
German  who  was  becoming  the  wonder  of 
the  musical  world  when  father  induced  him 
to  come  to  us.  I  have  met  him.  He  says 
he  has  been  thoroughly  happy  here.  He 
lives  on  music.  He  showed  me  the  instru- 
ment he  used  to  play,  a  little  thing  he  called 


CHANGING   SUN.  155 

a  violin,  and  its  tones  could  not  reach  be- 
yond the  limits  of  a  small  room.  He  laughs 
at  it  now  and  says  the  instrument  that 
father  gave  him  to  play  on  has  strings 
drawn  from  the  centre  of  the  earth  to  the 
stars  of  heaven." 

The  rose-light  had  spread  over  the  hori- 
zon and  climbed  almost  to  the  zenith,  and 
with  tlie  dying  booming  and  gentle  clangor 
it  began  to  fade  till  all  was  dark  again. 

"  Captain  Tradmos  ought  to  be  here  now," 
continued  the  princess,  glancing  uneasily 
toward  the  stairway.  "  We  may  not  have 
so  good  an  opportunity  as  this." 

Ten  minutes  went  by. 

"  Surely,  something  has  gone  wrong," 
whispered  Bernardino.  "  I  have  never  seen 
the  darkness  last  so  long  as  this ;  besides, 
can't  you  hear  the  muttering  of  the  people?" 

Thorndyke  acknowledged  that  he  did. 
He  was  about  to  add  something  else,  but 
was  prevented  by  a  loud  blast  from  the 
trumpet  in  the  tower. 

Bernardino  shrank  from  him  and  fell  to 
trembling. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  The  trumpet !  "  she  gasped,  "  something 
awful  has  happened  !  " 

A  moment  of  profound  silence,  then  the 


156  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

murmuring  of  the  crowd  rose  sullenly  like 
the  moaning  of  a  rising  storm  ;  a  search- 
light flashed  up  in  the  gloom  and  swept  its 
uncertain  stream  from  point  to  point,  but  it 
died  out.  Another  and  another  shone  for 
an  instant  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  but 
they  all  failed. 

"  Something  awful  has  happened,"  re- 
peated Bernardino,  as  if  to  herself  ;  "  the 
lights  will  not  burn  !  " 

"  Had  we  not  better  go  down  ?  "  asked 
Thorndyke  anxiously,  excited  by  her  un- 
usual perturbation. 

For  answer  she  mutely  drew  him  to  the 
eastern  parapet.  Far  away  in  the  east  there 
still  lingered  a  faint  hint  of  pink,  but  all 
over  the  whole  landscape  darkness  rested. 

"  See ! "  she  exclaimed,  pointing  upward, 
"  the  clouds  are  thinning  over  the  sun,  and 
yet  there  is  no  light.  What  can  be  the 
matter  ?  " 

At  that  juncture  they  heard  soft  steps  on 
the  roof  and  a  voice  calling : 

"  Bernardino  !     Princess  Bernardino  !  " 

"  It  is  Tradmos,"  she  ejaculated  gladly, 
then  she  called  out  softly  : 

"  Tradmos  !     Tradmos  !  " 

"  Here  !  "  the  voice  said,  and  a  figure 
loomed  up  before  them.    It  was  the  captain. 


CHANGING   SUN.  157 

He  was  panting  violently,  as  if  he  had  been 
running. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  she  asked,  clasping  his 
arm. 

"  The  sun  has  gone  out,"  he  announced. 

A  groan  escaped  her  lips  and  she  swayed 
into  Thorndyke's  arms. 

"  The  clouds  are  thinning  over  the  sun, 
yet  there  is  no  light.  The  king  is  excited  ; 
he  fears  a  panic  !  " 

"  Has  such  a  thing  never  happened  ?  " 
asked  Tliorndyke. 

"  An  hundred  j^ears  ago  ;  then  thousands 
lost  their  lives.  As  soon  as  the  people  sus- 
pect the  cause  of  the  delay  they  will  go 
mad  with  fear." 

"  What  can  we  do  ?  "  asked  the  princess, 
recovering  her  self-possession. 

"  Nothing,  wait ! "  replied  Tradmos.  "  This 
is  as  safe  a  place  as  you  could  find.  Perhaps 
the  trouble  may  be  averted.     Look  !  " 

The  disk  of  the  veiled  sun  was  aglow 
with  a  faintly  trembling  light ;  but  it  went 
out.  The  silence  was  profound.  The  popu- 
lace seemed  unable  to  grasp  the  situation, 
but  when  the  light  had  flickered  over  the 
black  face  of  the  sun  once  more  and  again 
expired,  a  sullen  murmur  rose  and  grew  as 
it  passed  from  lip  to  lip. 


158  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

It  became  a  threatening  roar,  broken  by 
an  occasional  cry  of  pain  and  a  dismal  groan 
of  terror.  There  was  a  crash  as  if  a  mount- 
ain bad  been  burst  by  explosives. 

"  The  swinging  bridge  has  been  thrown 
dow^n  !  "  said  Tradmos. 

Light  after  light  flashed  up  in  different 
parts  of  the  city,  but  they  were  so  small 
and  so  far  apart  that  they  seemed  to  add  to 
the  darkness  rather  than  to  lessen  it. 

*'  The  moon,  it  will  rise  !  "  cried  the 
princess. 

"  It  cannot,"  said  Tradmos  in  his  beard, 
"  at  least  not  for  several  hours." 

"  They  will  kill  my  father,"  she  said  de- 
spondently, "  they  always  hold  him  respon- 
sible for  any  accident." 

"  They  cannot  reach  him,"  consoled  Trad- 
mos.    "  He  is  safe  for  the  present  at  least." 

"  Is  it  possible  to  make  the  repairs 
needed  ? " 

"  I  don't  know.  When  the  accident  hap- 
pened long  ago  the  sun  was  just  rising." 

"  Has  it  stopped  ?  " 

"  I  think  not ;  it  has  simply  gone  out ; 
the  electric  connection  has,  in   some  way,  - 
been  cut  off." 

The  tumult  seemed  to  have  extended  to 
the  very  limits  of  the  city,  and  was  con- 


CHANGING   SUN.  159 

stantly  increasing.  The  smashing  of  tim- 
ber and  the  falling  of  heavy  stones  were 
heard  near  by. 

Tradmos  leaned  far  over  the  parapet. 
"  They  are  coming  toward  us  !  "  he  said  ; 
"  they  intend  to  destroy  the  palace  ;  we 
must  try  to  get  down,  but  we  shall  meet 
danger  even  there." 


160  THE   LAND   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Johnston  and  Branasko  looked  down  at 
the  great  ball  of  light  below  them  in  silent 
wonder.  Johnston  was  the  first  to  speak. 
He  pointed  to  the  four  massive  cables  which 
supported  the  sun  at  each  corner  of  the 
platform  and  extended  upward  till  they 
were  enveloped  in  the  darkness. 

"  They  hold  us  up,"  he  said,  "  where  do 
they  go  to  ?  " 

"  To  the  big  trucks  which  run  on  the 
tracks  near  the  roof  of  the  cavern  ;  the 
endless  cables  are  up  there,  too,  but  we  can 
not  see  them  with  this  glare  about  us." 

"  We  can  see  nothing  of  Alpha  from  here," 
remarked  Johnston  disappointedly,  "  Ave  can 
see  nothing  beyond  our  circle  of  light." 

"I  should  like  to  look  down  from  this 
height  at  night,"  said  the  Alphian.  "  It 
would  be  a  great  view." 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  Johnston  went  to  one 
side  of  the  platform  and  laid  his  hand  on  the 
spokes  of  a  polished  metal  wheel  shaped 


CHANGING   SUN.  161 

like  the  pilot-wheel  of  a  steamboat.  Bra- 
nasko  hastened  to  him. 

"Don't  touch  it,"  he  warned.  "It  looks 
as  if  it  were  to  turn  the  electric  connection 
off  and  on.  If  the  sun  should  go  out,  the 
consequences  would  be  awful.  The  people 
of  Alpha  would  go  mad  with  fear." 

The  American  withdrew  his  hand,  and  he 
and  Branasko  walked  back  to  the  centre  of 
the  platform.  Johnston  uttered  an  excla- 
mation of  surprise.  "  The  light  is  changhig." 

And  it  was,  for  it  was  gradually  fading 
into  a  purple  that  was  delightfully  soothing 
to  the  eye  after  the  painful  brightness  of  a 
moment  before. 

"  I  understand," said  the  Alphian,  "we  are 
running  very  slow  and  are  only  now  about 
to  approach  the  great  wall,  for  purple  is  the 
color  of  the  first  morning  hour." 

"  But  how  is  the  light  changed  ?  "  asked 
Johnston  curiously. 

"By  some  shifting  of  glasses  through 
which  the  rays  shine,  I  presume,"  returned 
the  Alphian  ;  "but  the  mechanism  seems  to 
be  concealed  in  the  walls  of  the  globe." 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  for  an  hour.    They 

had  lain  down  on  the  platform  near  the  iron 

railing  which  encompassed  it,  and  Branasko 

was  dozing  intermittently.    Again  the  light 

11 


162  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

began  to  change  gradually.  This  time  it 
was  gray.  Johnston  put  out  his  hand  to 
touch  Branasko,  but  the  Alphian  was  awake. 
He  sat  up  and  nodded  smiling.  "  Wait  till 
the  next  hour, "  he  said ;  "  it  will  be  rose- 
color  ;  that  is  the  most  beautiful." 

Slowly  the  hours  dragged  by  till  the 
yellow  light  showed  that  it  was  the  sixth 
hour.  Branasko  had  been  exploring  the 
vast  interior  below  and  came  back  to  John- 
ston who  was  asleep  on  the  floor  of  the 
platform. 

"I  have  just  thought  of  something,"  said 
Branasko.  "This  is  the  day  appointed  by 
the  king  to  entertain  his  subjects  with  a 
grand  display  of  the  elements." 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  said  Johnston. 

"  The  king,"  explained  the  Alphian,  "  dark- 
ens the  sun  with  clouds  so  that  all  Alpha  is 
blacker  than  night,  and  then  he  produces 
great  storms  in  the  sky,  and  lightning  and 
musical  thunder.  We  may,  perhaps,  hear 
the  music,  but  we  cannot  witness  the  storm 
and  electric  display  on  account  of  the  light 
about  us.  It  usually  begins  at  this  hour ; 
so  be  silent  and  listen." 

After  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  rumble 
from  below  like  the  roar  of  a  volcano  and  an 
answering  echo  from  the  black  dome  over- 


CHANGING    SUN.  163 

head.  This  died  away  and  was  succeeded 
by  a  crash  of  musical  thunder  that  thrilled 
Johnston's  being  to  its  very  core.  Bra- 
nasko's  face  was  aglow  with  enthusiasm. 

"Grand,  glorious  !  "  he  ejaculated,  "but  if 
only  you  could  see  the  lightning  and  the 
dawn  in  the  east  you  would  remember  it  all 
your  life.  The  sunlight  is  cut  off  from 
Alpha  by  the  clouds,  and  there  is  no  light 
except  the  wonderful  effects  in  the  sky." 

Johnston  had  gone  back  to  the  wheel  and 
was  examining  it  curiously. 

"  I  have  a  mind  to  turn  off  the  current  for 
a  moment  anyway,"  he  said  doggedly ;  "  if 
the  sun  is  hidden  they  would  not  discover 
it."  Branasko  came  to  hira,  a  weird  look  of 
interest  in  his  eyes. 

"  That  is  true,"  he  said  ;  "  besides,  what 
matters  it  ?  We  may  not  live  to  see  another 
day." 

Johnston  acted  on  a  sudden  impulse.  He 
intended  only  to  frighten  Branasko  by  mov- 
ing the  wheel  slightly,  and  he  had  turned  it 
barely  an  eighth  of  an  inch,  when,  as  if  con- 
trolled by  some  powerful  spring,  it  whirled 
round  at  a  great  rate,  making  a  loud  rattling 
noise.    To  their  dismay  the  light  went  out. 

"  My  God  !  what  have  I  done  ? "  gasped 
the  American  in  alarm. 


164  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

"  Settled  our  fate,  I  have  no  doubt,"  mut- 
tered the  Alphian  from  tlie  darkness. 

Johnston  had  recoiled  from  the  whirling 
wheel,  and  now  cautiously  groped  back  to 
it,  and  attempted  to  turn  it. 

It  would  not  move. 

"  It  has  caught  some  way,"  he  groaned 
under  his  breath. 

"  And  we  have  no  light  to  find  the  cause 
of  the  trouble,"  added  the  Alphian,  who  had 
knelt  down  and  was  feeling  about  the  wheel. 
Presently  he  rose. 

"  I  give  it  up,"  he  sighed,  "  I  cannot 
understand  it.  The  machinery  is  some- 
where inside."   • 

"  It  has  grown  colder,"  shuddered  John- 
ston. 

"  We  were  warmed  by  the  light,  of 
course,"  remarked  Branasko,  "  and  now  we 
feel  the  dampness  more.  We  are  going  at 
a  frightful  speed." 

Just  then  there  was  a  jar,  and  the  sun 
swung  so  violently  from  side  to  side  that 
the  two  men  were  prostrated  on  the  floor. 
The  speed  seemed  to  slacken. 

"  I  wonder  if  we  are  going  to  stop," 
groaned  the  American,  and  he  sat  up  and 
held  to  Branasko.      "Perhaps    they    will 


CHANGING   SUN.  165 

draw  ns  back  to  rectify  the  mistake,  and 
then " 

"  It  cannot  be  done,"  interrupted  the  Al- 
phian.  "The  machinery  runs  only  one 
way.  We  shall  simply  have  to  finish  our 
journey  in  darkness." 

"They  may  catch  us  on  the  other  side 
before  the  sun  starts  back  through  the  tun- 
nel," suggested  the  American. 

"  Not  unlikely,"  returned  Branasko. 
"  There,  we  are  going  ahead  again.  One 
thing  in  our  favor  is  that  we  can  more 
easily  escape  capture  in  darkness  than  if 
the  sun  were  shining." 

"Does  the  sun  stop  before  entering  the 
tunnel?" 

"I  do  not  know,"  replied  Branasko; 
"perhaps  somebody  will  be  there  to  see 
Avhat  is  wrong  with  the  light.  We  must 
have  our  wits  about  us  when  we  land." 

Johnston  was  looking  over  the  edge  of 
the  platform.  "If  the  king's  display  is 
taking  place  down  there  I  can  see  no  sign 
of  it." 

"How  stupid  of  us!"  ejaculated  Bra- 
nasko. "  Of  course,  clouds  sufficiently  dense 
to  hide  the  sun  from  Alpha  would  also  pre- 
vent us  from  seeing  the  display  below.  I 
ought  to " 


166  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  grand  outburst 
of  •  harmony.  The  whole  earth  seemed  to 
vibrate  with  sublime  melody.  "  Our  blun- 
der has  not  been  discovered  yet,"  finished 
Branasko,  after  a  pause,  "  else  the  fete  down 
below  would  have  been  over.  I  am  cold; 
shall  we  go  inside  ?  " 

Johnston's  answer  was  taken  out  of  his 
mouth  by  a  loud  rattling  beneath  the  floor, 
near  the  wheel  he  had  just  turned  ;  the  sun 
shook  spasmodically  for  an  instant,  and  its 
entire  surface  was  faintly  illuminated,  but 
the  light  failed  signally. 

"  It  must  have  been  an  extra  current  of 
electricity  sent  to  relight  the  lamps,"  re- 
marked Johnston ;  and,  as  he  concluded, 
the  sun  trembled  again,  and  another  flash 
and  failure  occurred.  "  Look,"  cried  the 
American,  "  the  clouds  are  thinning ;  see 
the  lights  below !  They  have  discovered 
the  accident ! " 

They  both  leaned  over  the  railing  and 
looked  below.  As  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  within  the  arc  of  their  vision,  they 
could  see  fitful  lights  flashing  up,  here  and 
there,  and  going  out  again.  And  then  they 
heard  faint  sounds  of  crashing  masonry  and 
the  condensed  roar  of  human  voices,  which 
seemed  to  come  from  above  rather  than  from 


CHANGING    SUN.  167 

below.  The  Alphiaii  turned.  "I  cannot 
stand  the  cold,"  he  said.  Johnston  followed 
him.  The  rapid  motion  of  the  swinging 
sphere  made  him  dizzy,  and  he  caught 
Branasko's  arm  to  keep  from  falling. 

"  How  can  we  tell  when  we  go  over  the 
wall?"  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  We  shall  have  to  guess  at  it,"  was  the 
answer.  "  At  any  rate  we  must  be  near  the 
lower  door  so  as  to  get  out  quickly  if  it  is 
necessary  to  do  so  to  escape  detection." 

In  the  darkness  they  slowly  made  their 
way  down  the  stairs  to  the  great  room. 

"  There  ought  to  be  some  way  of  making 
a  light,"  said  the  Alphian,  and  his  voice 
sounded  loud  and  hollow  in  the  empty  cham- 
ber. After  several  failures  to  find  the  stairs 
they  descended  to  the  door  they  had  entered. 
Branasko  opened  it  a  little,  and  a  breeze 
came  in.  They  sat  down  on  the  stone,  and 
after  a  while,  in  sheer  fatigue,  they  fell 
asleep.  Hours  passed.  Branasko  rose  with 
a  start,  and  shook  Johnston. 

"  Our  speed  is  lessenhig,"  he  exclaimed. 
"We  must  be  going  down.  Be  ready  to 
jump  out  the  instant  we  stop.  There,  let 
me  open  the  door  wider." 


168  THE   LAND   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

When  Tradmos  spoke  the  words  of  warn- 
ing, Thorndyke  put  his  arm  round  the  prin- 
cess and  drew  lier  after  Tradmos,  who  was 
hastening  away  in  the  gloom. 

"  Wait,"  she  said,  drawing  back.  "  Let 
us  not  get  excited.  We  are  really  as  safe 
here  as  there;  for  in  their  madness  they 
will  kill  one  another  and  trample  them 
under  foot."  She  led  him  to  a  parapet 
overlooking  the  great  court  below.  "  Hear 
them,"  she  said,  in  pity,  "listen  to  their 
blows  and  cries.  That  was  a  woman's  voice, 
and  some  man  must  have  struck  her." 

"Tell  me  what  is  best  to  do,"  said  the 
Englishman.  "  I  want  to  protect  you,  but  I 
am  helpless;  I  don't  know  which  way  to 
turn." 

"  Wait,"  she  said  simply,  and  the  English- 
man thought  she  drew  closer  to  him,  as  if 
touched  by  his  words. 

There  was  a  crash  of  timbers — a  massive 
door  had  fallen — a  scrambling  of  feet  on  the 
stone  pavement,   and    they  could  see  the 


CHANGING    SUN.  169 

dark  human  mass  surging  into  the  court 
through  the  corridors  leading  from  the 
streets. 

"  Wliat  are  they  doing  ?  "  asked  Thorn- 
dyke. 

She  shrank  from  the  parapet  as  if  she  had 
been  struck. 

"Tearing  the  pillars  down,"  she  replied 
aghast ;  "  this  part  of  the  palace  will  fall. 
Oh,  what  can  be  done !  " 

There  was  a  grinding  of  stone  upon  stone, 
a  mad  yell  from  an  hundred  throats,  the 
crash  of  glass,  and,  witli  a  thunderous  sound, 
a  colossal  pillar  fell  to  the  earth.  The  roof 
beneath  the  feet  of  the  princess  and  Thorn- 
dyke  trembled  and  sagged,  and  the  tiling 
split  and  showered  about  them. 

Raising  Bernardino  in  his  arms,  as  if  she 
were  an  infant,  Thorndyke  sprang  toward 
the  stairway  leading  to  his  chambers,  but 
the  roof  had  sunken  till  it  AA^as  steep  and 
slippery.  One  instant  he  was  toppling  over 
backward,  the  next,  by  a  mighty  effort,  he 
had  recovered  his  equilibrium,  and  finally 
managed  to  reach  a  safer  place.  As  he  hur- 
ried on  another  pillar  went  down.  The  roof 
sagged  lower,  and  an  avalanche  of  mortar 
and  tiling  slid  into  the  court  below.  Yells, 
groans,  and  cries  of  fury  rent  the  air. 


170  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

Bernardino  had  fainted.  Thorndyke  tried 
to  restore  her  to  consciousness,  but  dared 
not  put  her  from  him  for  an  instant.  On  he 
ran,  and  presently  reached  a  flight  of  stairs 
which  he  thought  led  to  his  chambers.  He 
descended  them,  and  was  hastening  along  a 
narrow  corridor  on  the  floor  beneath  when 
Bernardino  opened  her  eyes.  She  asked  to 
be  released  from  his  arms.  He  put  her 
down,  but  supported  her  along  the  cor- 
ridor. 

"  We  have  lost  our  way,"  he  said,  as  he 
discovered  that  the  corridor,  instead  of  lead- 
ing to  his  chambers,  turned  off  obliquely  in 
another  direction. 

"  Let's  go  on  anyway,"  she  suggested ; 
"it  may  lead  us  out.    I  have  never  been 

here  before.     I "  A  great  crash  drowned 

her  words.  The  floor  quivered  and  swayed, 
but  it  did  not  fall.  On  they  ran  through 
the  darkness,  till  Thorndyke  felt  a  heavy 
curtain  before.  He  paused  abruptly,  not 
knowing^  what  to  do.  Bernardino  felt  of  its 
texture,  perplexed  for  an  instant. 

"  Draw  it  aside,  it  seems  to  hang  across 
the  corridor,"  she  said. 

He  obeyed  her,  and  only  a  few  yards  fur- 
ther on  they  saw  another  curtain  with  bars 
of  light  above  and  below  it.    They  drew 


CHANGING   SUN.  171 

this  aside,   and  found  themselves  on   the 
threshold  of  a  most  beautiful  apartment. 

In  the  mosaic  floor  were  pictures  cut  in 
colored  stones,  and  the  ceiling  was  a  silken 
canopy  as  filmy  and  as  delicately  blue  as  the 
sky  on  a  summer's  night.  The  floor  was 
strewn  with  richly  embroidered  pillows, 
couches,  rugs  and  ottomans ;  and  here  and 
there  were  palm  trees  and  beds  of  flowers 
and  grottoes.  A  solitary  light,  represent- 
ing the  moon,  showed  through  the  silken 
canopy  in  whose  folds  little  lights  sparkled 
like  far-off  stars. 

Thorndyke  looked  at  the  princess  inquir- 
ingly.    She  was  bewildered. 

"  I  have  no  idea  where  we  are,"  she  mur- 
mured. "  I  am  sure  I  have  never  been  here 
before;  but  there  is  another  apartment  be- 
yond.   Listen !  I  hear  cries." 

"  Some  one  in  distress,"  he  answered,  and 
he  drew  her  across  the  room  and  through  a 
door  into  another  room  more  beautiful  than 
the  one  they  had  just  left.  Here,  huddled 
together  at  a  window  overlooking  the  court, 
were  six  or  eight  beautiful  young  women. 
They  were  staring  out  into  the  darkness, 
and  moaning  and  muttering  low  cries  of 

despair. 

"  It  is  my  father's  ladies,"  ejaculated  the 


172  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

princess  aghast.  "  He  would  be  angry  if  he 
knew  we  had  come  here.  No  one  but  him- 
self enters  these  apartments." 

Just  then  one  of  the  women  turned  a 
lovely  and  despairing  face  toward  them,  and 
came  forward  and  knelt  at  the  feet  of 
Bernardino. 

"  Oh,  save  us.  Princess,"  she  cried. 

"  Be  calm,"  said  the  princess,  touching 
the  white  brow  of  the  woman.  "  The  danger 
may  soon  pass  ;  this  portion  of  the  palace  is 
too  strongly  built  for  them  to  injure  it." 
Then  she  turned  to  Thorndyke :  "  We 
must  hasten  on  and  find  our  way  down  ;  it 
would  never  do  for  us  to  be  seen  here." 
Then  she  turned  to  the  kneeling  woman 
and  said  gently :  "  I  hope  you  will  say  noth- 
ing to  the  king  of  this  ;  we  lost  our  way  in 
trying  to  get  down  from  the  roof." 

"  I  will  not,"  gladly  promised  the  woman, 
and  seeing  that  Bernardino  knew  not  which 
Avay  to  turn,  she  guided  them  to  a  door 
opening  into  a  dimly-lighted  corridor.  It 
will  take  you  out  to  the  balconies  and  down 
to  the  audience-chamber,"  she  said. 

The  princess  thanked  her,  and  she  and 
the  Englishman  descended  several  flights  of 
stairs.  Reaching  one  of  the  balconies  they 
met  the  denser  darkness  of  the  outside  and 


CHANGING   SUN.  173 

the  deafening  clang  and  clamor  of  the  mul- 
titude. There  Avas  no  light  of  any  kind,  and 
Thorndyke  and  his  charge  had  to  press  close 
against  the  balustrade  of  the  balcony  to 
keep  from  being  crushed  by  the  mad  torrent 
of  humanity. 

Now  and  then  a  strident  voice  would  rise 
above  the  din  : — 

"Do\yn  with  the  palace!  Death  to  the 
king ! " 

The  trumpet  in  the  tower  sounded  again 
and  again. 

"  It  is  my  father  trying  to  attract  their 
attention,"  explained  the  princess.  "  Some- 
thing very  serious  has  happened  for  once. 
In  speaking  of  the  time  the  sun  went  out 
before,  he  told  me  that  he  had  made  an  in- 
vention which,  in  such  a  crisis,  would  in- 
stantly restore  confidence  to  the  people.  I 
cannot  understand  why  he  does  not  use  it. 
Oh,  I  am  afraid  they  will  kill  him  !  " 

Thorndyke  tried  to  console  her,  for  he 
saw  that  she  was  weeping,  but  just  then 
there  was  a  strange  lull  in  the  general  tu- 
nuilt.     What  could  have  happened  ? 

"  The  dawn !  the  ideal  dawn !  "  cried 
Bernardino,  pointing  to  the  eastern  sky. 
Thorndyke  looked  in  wonder.  A  purple 
light  had  spread  along  the  horizon,  and  as 


174  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

it  gradually  softened  into  gray  and  slowly 
turned  to  pink,  the  noise  of  the  populace 
died  down.  No  sound  could  now  be  heard 
save  the  low  groans  of  wounded  men  and 
women.  What  a  sight  met  the  view  as  the 
rose-light  shimmered  over  the  city !  The 
dead  and  dying  lay  under  the  feet  of 
the  crowd.  Almost  everj^  creature  bore 
some  mark  of  violence.  Eyes  were  blood- 
shot, clothing  torn,  limbs  were  bleeding,  and 
mingled  fury  and  sudden  hope  struggled  in 
each  ashen  face.  The  young  trees  and 
shrubbery  had  been  trampled  under  foot, 
and  walls,  arcades  and  triumphal  arches  had 
been  thrown  down.  The  fragments  of 
statues  lay  here  and  there,  and  the  bodies  of 
human  beings  filled  the  basins  of  broken 
fountains. 

"  It  is  not  the  sun,"  explained  Bernardino ; 
"but  the  invention  my  father  spoke  of. 
He  is  doing  it  to  calm  them." 

Thorndyke  made  no  answer.  He  stood 
as  if  transfixed,  gazing  at  the  horizon.  The 
rose-light  had  spread  over  a  third  of  the  sky 
when  gradually  there  appeared  in  its  centre 
a  bright  circle  of  yellow  light.  The  yellow 
light  faded,  leaving  a  perfect  picture  of  the 
throne  of  the  king ;  and  as  the  now  silent 
masses  looked  at  the  picture,  a  curtain  be- 


CHANGING   SUN.  175 

hind  the  throne  parted  and  the  king  him- 
self appeared.  He  advanced  and  sat  on  the 
throne,  and  turned  a  calm  face  towards  his 
subjects. 

"  Wonderful !  "ejaculated Bernardino,  and 
her  face  was  full  of  hope.  "  See  what  he 
will  do ! " 

"Where  is  the  picture?"  asked  Thorn- 
dyke;  "can  it  be  seen  by  all  of — of  the 
people  ?  " 

"  Yes,  by  all  Alpha,  for  it  is  on  the  sky." 

Thorndyke  said  nothing  further,  for  the 
king  had  stood  up,  and  with  hands  out- 
stretched was  bowing.  Above  the  circle  of 
liffht,  as  if  cut  out  of  the  solid  blackness,  in 
flaming  letters  stood  the  word, 

«  SILENCE !  " 

And  there  was  silence.  Even  the  lips  of 
the  wounded  men  closed  as  the  king  began  to 
speak.  The  sound  of  his  voice  seemed  as 
far  away  as  the  stars,  and  to  permeate  all 
space : — 

"  All  danger  is  over.  Tidings  from  tlie 
west  state  that  the  sun  is  setting.  No  harm 
has  come  to  it.  It  will  rise  in  the  morning, 
and  the  moon  and  stars  will  be  out  in  a  few 
hours.     Let    the    dead    be    removed,    the 


176  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

wounded  cared  for,  and  everything  be  re- 
paired.    Ttiis  is  my  will." 

-That  was  all.  The  king  bowed  sedately 
and  retired  from  the  throne,  and  the  circle 
and  pink  glow  faded  from  the  black  sky. 
The  stillness  was  unbroken  for  a  moment, 
then  glad  murmurings  were  heard  in  all 
directions. 

"  They  are  lighting  the  palace,"  cried  the 
princess.  "  See,  down  there  is  the  arcade 
leading  to  the  rotunda." 

"  I  am  glad  it  is  over,"  said  Thorndyke. 

She  grasped  his  arm  and  impulsively 
looked  into  his  face. 

"  But  your  friend,  we  have  forgotten  him, 
and  done  nothing  to  save  him,  and  now  it  is 
too  late." 

"  We  could  not  help  it ;  we  had  to  think 
of  our  own  safety." 

"  I  shall  send  for  Captain  Tradmos  and 
try  to  devise  some  other  plan,"  she  said,  as 
they  descended  the  stairs. 

"  We  should  not  be  seen  together,"  she 
added,  as  they  approached  the  throne- room ; 
"  besides,  you  ought  to  go  to  your  chambers. 
No  one  is  allowed  to  be  out  when  the  dead 
is  being  removed." 

"  Where  is  the  dead  taken  ?  " 

"  Over  the  wall,  to  be  burned  in  the  in- 


CHANGING   SUN.  177 

ternal  fires,"  she  concluded,  as  she  was 
leaving  him. 

He  found  everything  in  order  in  his  rooms 
and  he  lay  down  and  tried  to  sleep,  but  he 
was  too  much  excited  over  the  happenings  of 
the  day.  Hours  must  have  passed  when  his 
attention  was  drawn  to  a  bright  light  shin- 
ing on  the  wall  of  his  room.  He  Went  to  a 
window  and  looked  out  on  the  court.  The 
light  came  from  the  rising  moon. 

Below  lay  the  ruins  of  fallen  columns, 
capitals,  cornices  and  statues.  Figures  in 
black  cloaks  and  cowls  were  removing  the 
dead  from  the  debris.  With  a  fluttering 
sound  something  swooped  down  past  his 
window  to  the  ground.  It  looked  like  a 
great  bird,  carrying  the  car  of  a  flying- 
machine.  Thorndyke  watched  its  circular 
descent  to  the  earth,  and  shuddered  with 
horror  as  the  black  figures  filled  the  car 
with  bodies  and  the  grewsome  machine 
spread  its  wings  and  rose  slowly  till  it  was 
clear  of  the  domes  and  pinnacles  of  the 
palace,  and  then  flew  away  westward. 

Other  machines  came,  and,  one  after  an- 
other, received  their  ghastly  burdens  and 
departed.  In  a  short  time  all  the  dead  was 
removed,  and  hundreds  of  workmen  came 
12 


178  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

from  the  palace  and  began  repairing  the 
fallen  masonry. 

Thorndyke  went  back  to  his  couch  and 
tried  to  sleep,  but  in  vain.  Slowly  the  hours 
of  night  passed,  and  as  the  purple  of  dawn 
rose  in  the  east  he  dressed  himself  and  went 
up  on  the  roof.  The  moon  had  gone  down 
and  the  stars  were  fading  from  the  sky. 
The  dark  earth  below  showed  no  signs  of 
life ;  but  as  the  purple  light  softened  into 
gray  he  saw  that  the  streets  of  the  city  were 
filled  with  silent  expectant  people,  all  watch- 
ing the  eastern  sky.  And,  as  the  gray  light 
flushed  into  rose,  and  the  rose  began  to 
scintillate  with  gold,  they  began  to  stir,  and 
a  hum  of  joyful  voices  was  heard.  The 
promised  day  had  come. 


CHANGING   SUN.  170 


CHAPTER    XV. 

The  sun  was,  indeed,  slowing  up.  The 
two  men  peered  out  at  the  door. 

"  It  would  be  unlucky  for  us  if  it  should 
not  come  so  near  to  the  earth  as  it  did  on 
the  other  side,"  whispered  Branasko. 

"  I  can  hardly  feel  any  motion  to  the  thing 
at  all,"  replied  the  American.  "  Look  !  for 
some  reason  it  is  not  so  dark  below.  I  can 
see  the  rocks.  Surely  we  have  already 
passed  over  the  wall." 

"  That's  so,"  returned  the  Alphian. 
"  Come  ;  we  must  be  quick  and  watch  our 
opportunity  to  land.  I  can't  imagine  where 
the  light  comes  from  unless  it  be  from  the 
people  waithig  for  the  arrival  of  the  sun." 

Every  instant  the  speed  was  lessening. 
Overhead  the  cables  were  beginning  to  creak 
and  groan,  and,  now  and  then,  the  great 
globe  swung  perilously  near  some  tall  stony 
peak,  or  passed  under  a  mighty  stalactite. 
Slower  and  slower  it  got  till,  when  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  ground,  it  stopped  its  onward 


180  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

motion  and  only  swung  back  and  forth  like 
a  pendulum. 

■  "  Quick,"  whispered  Branasko,  "  we  must 
get  down  while  it  is  swinging,  no  time  to 
lose — not  an  instant ! "  And  as  the  sun 
moved  backward,  with  his  hand  on  the  door- 
sill,  he  leaped  to  the  earth.  Johnston  fol- 
lowed him.  They  were  not  a  moment  too 
soon,  for  about  fifty  yards  away  they  saw  a 
body  of  sixty  or  seventy  men  with  lights  in 
their  hands  hastening  toward  them. 

"  Just  in  time,"  exulted  Branasko,  and  he 
quickly  drew  Johnston  into  a  little  cave  in 
the  f  ace  of  a  clitf .  Crouching  behind  a  great 
rock,  they  saw  and  heard  the  men  as  they 
approached. 

Some  of  them  walked  around  the  sun,  and 
two,  evidently  in  authority,  entered  the 
door.  The  others  were  placing  ladders 
against  the  side  of  the  sphere,  when  sud- 
denly there  was  a  loud  clattering  in  the 
interior,  a  whirling  of  wheels  under  the 
platform  above,  and  the  surface  of  the  sun 
burst  into  light. 

The  two  refugees  were  momentarily 
blinded.  Branasko  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  quickly  draw  his  companion  down 
close  to  the  earth  behind  the  rock.  "  They 
could  see  us  in  the  light,"  he  whispered. 


CHANGING  SUN.  181 

There  was  a  joyous  clamoring  of  voices 
among  the  men,  and  they  withdrew  sev- 
eral yards  to  look  at  the  sun.  This  drew 
them  nearer  the  hiding-place  of  the  two 
refugees. 

"  Only  an  accident,"  said  a  voice ;  "  it 
won't  happen  again." 

Then  one  of  them  went  into  the  sun  and 
the  lights  died  out.  In  a  moment  the  sun 
began  to  move.  Slowly  and  majestically  it 
swept  over  the  rocky  earth,  followed  by  the 
crowd,  till  it  reached  a  great  hole  and  sank 
into  it. 

"  Gone  into  the  tunnel,"  said  the  Alphian, 
as  the  crowd  disappeared  behind  the  cliff. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  now  ?  "  asked  Johns- 
ton. "  We  certainly  can't  go  through  with 
the  sun." 

"  Wait  till  the  next  trip,"  grimly  replied 
Branasko. 

The  rumbling  noise  from  the  big  hole 
gradually  died  away,  and  the  two  men  left 
their  hiding-place. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Johnston.  He 
pointed  to  the  west,  where  a  red  light 
shone  against  the  toAverhig  cliffs. 

"  It  must  be  the  internal  fires,"  answered 
Branasko,  with  a  noticeable  shuddei'.  "  Let's 
go  nearer ;  I  have  heard  that  there  is  a  point 


182  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

near  here  where  one  can  look  down  into  the 
Lake  of  Flame." 

"  The  Lake  of  Flame  !  "  echoed  the  Amer- 
ican.    "  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  It  is  where  all  of  the  dead  of  Alpha  is 
cast  by  the  black  '  vultures  of  death.' " 

Johnston  said  nothing,  for  it  was  difficult 
to  keep  up  with  the  Alphian,  who  was 
bounding  over  rocks  and  dangerous  fissures 
toward  the  red  glow  in  the  distance. 

At  every  step  the  atmosphere  got  warmer, 
and  they  detected  a  slight  gaseous  odor  in  the 
air.  Finally,  after  an  arduous  tramp  of  an 
hour,  they  climbed  up  a  steep  hill  and  looked 
sharply  down  into  a  vast  bubbling  lake  of 
molten  matter  more  than  a  thousand  yards 
below.  Branasko  noticed  a  stone  weighing 
several  tons  evenly  balanced  on  the  verge  of 
the  great  gulf,  and  pushed  it  with  both  his 
hands.  It  rocked,  broke  loose  from  its 
slender  hold  on  the  cliff  and  bounded  out 
into  the  red  space.  Down  it  went,  lessen- 
ing as  it  sank  till  it  became  a  mere  black 
speck  and  then  disappeared. 

"  That's  where  the  dead  go,"  said  Bra- 
nasko gloomily. 

Just  then  the  American,  happening  to 
glance  up,  saw  something  like  a  huge  black 
bird    with  outspread  wings  circling  about 


CHANGING   SUN.  183 

in  the  red  light  over  the  pit.  Branasko  saw 
it,  too,  and  his  face  paled  and  a  tremulo  was 
in  his  voice  when  he  spoke. 

"  It  is  one  of  the '  vultures  of  death  ;'  don't 
stir  ;  we  won't  be  seen  if  we  remain  where 
we  are ! "  The  strange  machine  sank 
lower  over  the  lake  of  fire,  till,  as  if  buoyed 
up  on  the  hot  air,  with  faintly  quivering 
wings,  it  paused.  A  man  opened  a  door  of 
the  black  car  and  carelessly  threw  out  the 
bodies  of  a  woman  and  a  child. 

The  bodies  whirled  over  and  over  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  pit,  and  the  man  closed  the 
door.  The  machine  then  rose  and  grace- 
fully winged  its  flight  to  the  east.  In  a 
moment  others  came  with  their  grim 
burdens,  and  still  others,  till  the  mouth  of 
the  pit  was  dark  with  them. 

"  Something  has  happened,"  whispered 
Branasko,  "  some  great  calamity,  for  surely 
so  many  people  do  not  die  in  Alpha  in  a 
single  day." 

For  an  hour  they  watched  the  coming  and 
going  of  the  vultures,  till,  finally  the  last  one 
hovered  over  the  lake  of  fire.  Suddenly 
the  machine  swerved  so  near  to  Branasko 
and  Johnston  that  they  shrank  close  to  the 
earth  to  keep  from  being  seen.  Something 
was  evidently  wrong  with  the  machine,  for 


184  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

there  was  a  wild  look  of  desperation  on  the 
driver's  face  as  he  tugged  excitedly  at  the 
pilot- wheel.  But  all  his  efforts  only  caused 
the  air-ship  to  dart  irregularly  from  side  to 
side,  and,  how  and  then,  to  strike  the  rocks 
of  the  pit's  mouth,  to  shoot  up  suddenly,  or 
to  sink  dangerously  down  toward  the  fire. 

"  He  is  losing  control  of  it,"  whispered 
Branasko,  "  he  does  not  know  what  to  do. 
See,  he  is  trying  to  lighten  the  load,  by 
kicking  out  the  body." 

That  was  true,  and,  as  the  machine  made 
a  sudden  plunge  toward  the  cliff  a  few  yards 
to  the  left  of  the  refugees,  the  dead  body, 
which  the  driver  had  managed  to  move  to  the 
door  with  his  feet,  fell  out  and  lodged  upon 
the  edge  of  the  cliff  instead  of  falling  into 
the  fiery  depths.  The  machine  bounded  up 
a  few  yards  and  paused,  now  apparently 
under  the  control  of  its  driver.  The  man 
looked  down  hesitatingly  at  the  corpse  for 
a  moment  and  then  lowered  the  machine  to 
the  sloping  rock  near  where  the  body  lay. 
He  alighted  and  cautiously  crept  down  the 
steep  incline  to  the  body.  He  raised  it  in 
his  arms  and  was  about  to  cast  it  from  him 
when  his  foot  slipped,  and  with  a  cry  of 
horror  he  fell  with  his  burden  over  the 
cliff's  edge  into  the  red  abyss. 


CHANGING   SUN.  ,   185 

Johnston  uttered  an  exclamation  of  hor- 
ror, but  Branasko  was  unmoved.  After  a 
moment  he  rose,  and  carefully  scanning  the 
space  overhead,  he  crawled  on  hands  and 
knees  toward  the  machine.  Johnston  heard 
him  chuckling  to  himself  and  uttering  spas- 
modic laughs,  and  he  watched  him  closely 
as  he  reached  the  machine.  For  several 
minutes  he  seemed  to  be  inspecting  it  criti- 
cally, both  inside  and  out;  then  he  stood 
away  from  it,  a  bold,  black  silhouette  on  a 
background  of  flame,  and  motioned  the 
American  to  come  to  him. 

Johnston  promptly,  but  not  without  many 
misgivings,  obeyed  his  signal.  "  What  are 
you  up  to?"  asked  he,  as  the  Alphjan  as- 
sisted him  to  rise  from  his  hands  and  knees. 

Branasko  touched  the  machine  and  smiled. 
His  face  was  shining  with  enthusiasm. 

"  The  question  of  our  returning  to  Alpha 
is  settled,"  he  said  sententiously. 

"How?" 

"  We  can  go  in  this." 

"  Can  you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  Easily ;  that  fellow  must  have  been 
drunk;  the  machine  is  in  good  order,  I 
think." 

"  When  do  you  propose  to  start  ?  "  and  the 
American  eyed  the  funeral-car  dubiously. 


186  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

"  The  night  is  before  us ;  we  could  not 
get  a  better  time."  As  he  spoke  he  entered 
t-he  car  and  laid  his  hand  on  the  wheel. 
Johnston,  obeying  his  nod,  followed,  shud- 
dering as  he  remarked  the  traces  of  blood 
on  the  floor. 

"  All  right !  "  Branasko  turned  the  wheel 
slowly,  and  the  wings  outside  began  to  flap, 
and  the  car  mounted  into  the  air  like  a 
startled  bird  and  flew  out  quickly  over  the 
pit. 

Branasko  bit  his  lip,  and  Johnston  heard 
him  stifle  an  exclamation  of  impatience.  As 
for  the  American,  he  was  at  once  thrilled 
and  fascinated  by  the  awful  sight  below ;  he 
could  now  see  beneath  the  overhanging 
mouth  of  the  x^it,  and  look  far  down  into  a 
boundless  lake  of  molten  matter  that  seemed 
as  restless  as  an  ocean  in  a  storm. 

Then  the  air  became  so  hot  he  could 
hardly  breathe.  He  looked  at  the  Alphian 
in  alarm.  The  latter  was  whirling  the 
wheel  first  one  way  and  then  another  with 
a  startled  look  of  fear  in  his  eyes,  and  then 
Johnston  noticed  that  the  walls  of  the  pit 
were  rising  about  them,  and  the  black 
canopy  overhead  rapidly  receding. 

They  were  sinking  down  into  the  fire. 

Almost   wild  with  terror,  the  American 


CHANGING   SUN.  187 

sprang  toward  the  wheel,  but  Branasko 
pushed  him  away  roughly. 

"  Stand  back,"  he  ordered  gruffly.  "  It  is 
the  heat ;  let  me  alone  !  " 

The  American  sank  into  his  seat.  The 
heat  became  more  and  more  intense.  Both 
men  were  purple  in  the  face,  and  the  per- 
spiration was  rolling  from  their  bodies  in 
streams.     Down  sank  the  machine. 

"  I  can't  manage  it,"  said  Branasko 
hoarsely,  "  we'd  as  well  give  up." 

Just  then  Johnston  noticed  the  mouth  of 
a  cave  behind  Branasko. 

"  Look,"  he  cried,  "  can't  we  get  into  it  ?  " 

Branasko  looked  over  his  shoulder,  and, 
as  he  saw  the  cave,  he  uttered  a  glad  cry. 
lie  quickly  turned  the  wheel  and  drew  out 
a  lever  at  his  right.  The  machine  obeyed 
instantly;  it  swerved  round  suddenly  and 
dived  into  the  cave.  The  cool  air  soon  re- 
vived them,  and  Branasko  had  little  trouble 
in  bringing  the  car  to  a  resting-place  on  the 
rocky  floor  of  the  cave.  Before  them  hung 
impenetrable  darkness,  behind  a  curtain  of 
red  light. 

"  We  are  in  a  pretty  pickle  now,"  said 
Johnston  despondently,  as  they  alighted 
from  the  car. 

"  Nothing  to  do  but  to  make  the  best  of 


18'8.  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

it,"  sighed  Branasko.  "  Perhaps  this  cave 
may  lead  out  into  some  place  of  safety." 

Johnston's  eyes  had  become  somewhat  ac- 
customed to  the  gloom,  and  he  began  to  peer 
into  the  darkness. 

"  I  see  a  light,"  he  exclaimed  ;  "  it  cannot 
be  a  reflection  from  the  fire  in  the  pit,  for  it 
is  whiter." 

The  Alphian  gazed  at  it  steadily  for  a 
moment,  then  he  said  decidedly :  "  We 
must  go  and  see  what  it  is."  Without  an- 
other word  he  started  toward  the  white, 
star-like  spot,  sliding  his  hand  over  the 
rocky  wall,  and  springing  over  a  fissure  in 
the  floor. 

Gradually  the  light  grew  brighter,  till,  as 
they  suddenly  rounded  a  cliff,  a  grand  sight 
burst  upon  their  view.  They  found  them- 
selves in  a  vast  dome-shaped  cavern,  thou- 
sands of  yards  in  diameter  and  height.  And 
almost  in  the  centre  of  the  floor,  from  a  red 
and  purple  mound  of  cooling  lava,  leapt  a 
white  stream  of  molten  matter  from  the 
floor  to  the  dome.  And  in  the  black  dome, 
where  the  lava  turned  to  molten  spray, 
hung  countless  stalactites  of  every  color 
known  to  the  artistic  eye.  And  from  the 
foot  of  the  fountain  ran  a  tortuous  rivulet 
that  lighted  the  walls  and  roof  of  a  narrow 


CHANGING   SUN. 


189 


chamber  that  extended  for  miles  down  to- 
ward the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
Branasko  was  delighted. 
"The  king  does  not  know  of  this,"  he  de- 
clared, "  else  he  would  make  it  accessible  to 
his  people,  and  call  it  one  of  the  wonders  of 
Alpha.     By   accidentally   sinking  into  the 
pit  we  have  discovered  it.    But,"  he  con- 
cluded, "  we  must  at  once  try  to  find  some 
way  out  other  than  that  by  which  we  came." 
They  turned  from  the  beautiful  fountain, 
and,  holding  to  each    other's   hands,   and 
aided  by  the  light  behind  them,  they  stum- 
bled laboriously  through  the  semi-darkness. 
Branasko's  ears  were  very  acute.    He  paused 
to  listen. 

''  Hark  ye ! "  he  cautioned. 
The  combined  roar  of  the  pit  and  the 
fountain  of  lava  had  sunk  to  a  low   mur- 
mur, but  ahead  of  them  they  now  heard  a 
rushing  sound  like  a  distant  tornado. 

"  Come  on, "  said  the  Alphian,  and  he  drew 
his  companion  after  him  with  an  eagerness 
the  American  was  slow  to  understand.  The 
light  in  the  cavern  gradually  grew  brighter. 
By  a  circuitous  route  they  were  again  ap- 
proaching the  pit  of  tire,  though  it  was  still 
hidden  from  sight. 

Finally  they  reached  a  point  where  the 


190  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

wind  was  blowing  stiffly,  and  further  on  a 
volume  of  cold  spray  suddenly  dashed  upon 
them  and  wet  them  to  the  skin.  And  when 
their  eyes  had  become  accustomed  to  the 
rolling  mist,  they  saw  a  great  lake,  and 
pouring  into  it  from  high  above  was  a 
mighty  waterfall. 

"Mercy!"  ejaculated  the  Alphian,  in 
great  alarm.  "  If  this  is  salt  water  we  are 
lost.     All  Alpha  will  come  to  an  end !  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  And  Johnston 
wondered  if  Branasko's  trials  and  struggle 
could  have  turned  his  brain. 

"  If  it  be  salt  water,  then  it  has  broken  in 
from  the  ocean  above  Alpha, "  he  explained. 
"  The  king  has  often  said  that  not  a  drop  of 
the  ocean  has  ever  entered  the  great 
cavern." 

Branasko  stooped  and  wet  his  hand  in  a 
little  pool  at  his  feet.  "  I  am  almost  afraid  to 
taste  it, "  said  he,  holding  his  hand  near  his 
mouth.  "  It  would  settle  all  our  fates.  "  He 
waited  a  moment  and  then  touched  his 
fingers  to  his  tongue. 

"Salt!"  That  was  all  he  said  for  sev- 
eral moments.  He  folded  his  arms  and 
looked  mutely  toward  the  boiling  lake. 
Presently  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  great 
hole  in  the  roof,  and  groaned : 


CHANGING   SUN.  191 

"  The  break  is  gradually  widening.  These 
stones  are  freshly  broken,  and  the  great 
bowl  is  filling." 

"It  will  fill  all  Alpha  with  water  and 
drown  every  soul  in  it,"  added  the  terrified 
American. 

"  That,  however,  is  not  the  most  immedi- 
ate danger,  "  said  Branasko  wisely.  "  They 
would  first  suffocate,  and  later  their  bodies 
would  be  swallowed  up  in  the  stomach  of 
the  earth." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

Branasko  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "As 
soon  as  this  boAvl  is  filled  with  water,  which 
would  not  take  many  hours,  it  would  run  over 
into  the  lake  of  fire  and  produce  an  explosion 
that  would  rend  Alpha  from  end  to  end." 

"  Wlio  knows,  it  might  turn  the  whole 
Atlantic  into  the  centre  of  the  earth,  and 
destroy  the  entire  earth." 

But  Branasko  was  unable  to  grasp  the 
full  magnitude  of  the  remark,  for  to  him 
the  world  was  simply  a  vast  cavern  lighted 
by  human  ingenuity.  He  fastened  a  narrow 
splinter  of  stone  upright  in  the  shallow 
water  at  his  feet,  and,  lying  down  on  his 
stomach  with  his  eyes  close  to  it,  he  studied 
it  for  several  minutes.  When  he  got  up,  a 
desperate  gleam  was  in  his  dark  eyes. 


192  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

"  It  is  rising  fast,"  he  said.  "  "We  must 
attempt  to  get  to  the  capitol  and  warn  the 
•king.  It  is  possible  that  he  may  be  able  to 
stop  the  opening.  The  only  thing  left  to 
us  is  to  try  our  machine  again." 

Johnston  found  it  hard  to  keep  pace  with 
him  as  he  bounded  out  of  the  mist  and  on 
toward  the  faint  glow  ahead.  Reaching  the 
flying  machine  Branasko  entered  it  and 
turned  on  a  small  electric  light. 

"  Ah, "  he  grunted  with  satisfaction,  "  I 
have  found  a  light.  I  can  now  see  what  is 
the  matter  with  it." 

Johnston  stood  outside  and  heard  him 
hammering  on  the  metal  parts  in  the  car, 
and  became  so  absorbed  in  thinking  of  the 
peril  of  their  position  that  he  was  startled 
when  Branasko  cried  out  to  him  :  —  "  All 
right.  I  think  we  can  make  it  do ;  a  pin 
has  lost  out,  but  perhaps  I  can  hold  the 
piece  in  place  with  my  foot.  If  only  we  can 
stand  the  heat  of  the  pit  long  enough  to  rise 
above  it,  we  may  escape." 

Johnston  followed  him  into  the  car. 
Branasko  seated  himself  firmly  and  gave 
the  wheel  a  little  turn.  SloAvly  the  machine 
rose.  "  See !  "  cried  Branasko,  "  it  is  under 
control.  We  must  not  be  too  hast5^  Now 
for  the  pit !  " 


CHANGING   SUN.  193 

The  heart  of  the  American  was  in  his 
mouth  as  the  long  black  wings  waved  up 
and  down  and  the  air-ship,  like  some  live 
thing,  shuddered  and  swept  gracefully  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  cave  into  the  glare  and 
heat  of  the  pit. 

"  Hold  your  breath  ! "  yelled  Branasko, 
and  he  bent  lower  into  the  car  to  escape  the 
shower  of  hot  ashes  that  was  falling  about 
them.  Far  out  over  the  lake  in  a  straight 
line  they  glided,  and  there  came  to  a  sudden 
halt.  Johnston's  eyes  were  glued  on  his 
companion's  face.  Branasko  sat  doubled 
up,  every  muscle  drawn,  his  eyes  bulging 
from  their  sockets.  Would  he  be  strong 
enough  ?  To  Johnston  everything  seemed  in 
a  whirl.  The  walls  of  the  pit  were  rising 
around  them. 
13 


194  THE  LAND   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Thorndyke  went  down  into  his  chambers 
to  make  his  toilet  and  was  ready  to  leave 
when  there  was  a  soft  rap  on  his  door.  He 
opened  it,  and  to  his  surprise  saw  Bernardino 
modestly  draw  herself  back  into  the  shadow 
of  the  hall. 

"  Pardon  me,  but  I  must  speak  to  you, " 
she  stammered  in  confusion. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked,  going  out  to 
her. 

"  I  want  to  advise  you  to  avoid  my  father 
to-day.  He  is  greatly  disappointed  with 
the  accident  of  yesterday,  and  he  is  never 
courteous  to  strangers  when  he  is  displeased. 
He  was  particularly  anxious  to  have  you 
entertained  by  the  fSte.  " 

"  Thank  you ;  I  shall  keep  out  of  his  way," 
promised  the  Englishman.  "  Where  had  I 
better  stay — here  in  my  rooms  ?  " 

"No,  he  might  send  for  you.  If  you 
would  care  to  see  Winter  Park,  I  can  go 
with  you  as  your  guide." 


CHANGING   SUN.  195 

"I  should  be  delighted;  nothing  could 
please  me  more." 

"  But,"  (as  a  servant  passed  in  the  room 
with  a  tray)  "  that  is  your  breakfast.  Meet 
me  at  the  fountain  at  the  north  entrance  of 
the  palace  in  half  an  hour."  And,  drawing 
her  veil  over  her  face,  she  vanished  in  the 
darkness  of  the  corridor. 

After  he  had  breakfasted  and  sent  the 
man  away,  he  hastened  below  to  the  place 
designated  by  the  princess.  She  was  wait- 
ing for  him  under  the  palm  trees,  and  was 
so  disguised  that  he  would  not  have  known 
her  but  for  her  low  amused  laugh  as  he  was 
about  to  pass  her. 

"  It  would  not  do  for  any  one  to  suspect 
me,"  she  explained ;  "  my  father  would 
never  forgive  me  for  doing  this."  She 
pointed  to  a  flying-machine  near  by.  "  We 
must  take  the  air;  I  have  made  all  the 
arrangements.  Winter  Park  is  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  city." 

He  followed  her  across  the  grass  to  the 
machine  and  into  the  car.  They  could  see 
the  driver  behind  the  glass  of  the  narrow 
compartment  in  which  he  sat,  and  when  he 
turned  the  polished  metal  wheel  the  machine 
rose  like  a  liberated  balloon.  Thorndyke 
looked  out  of  the  window.    The  blue  haze 


196  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

of  the  fifth  hour  of  the  morning  was  break- 
ing over  everything,  and  as  the  domes, 
pinnacles,  and  vari-colored  roofs  fell  away 
in  the  beautiful  light,  the  breast  of  the 
Englishman  heaved  with  delightful  emot- 
ions. Bernardino  was  watching  his  face 
with  a  gratified  smile. 

"  You  like  Alpha,"  she  said,  half  anx- 
iously, half  inquiringly. 

"  Very  much,"  he  replied ;  "  but  I 
want  to  show  you  the  great  world  I  came 
from ; — and  some  day  perhaps  I  can." 

The  blood  ran  into  her  cheeks  suddenly, 
and  then  as  quickly  receded,  leaving  a  wist- 
ful expression  in  her  eyes.  She  sighed. 
"  It  has  been  my  dream  for  a  long  time.  I 
have  always  imagined  that  it  is  more  wonder- 
ful than  Alpha ;  but  you  know  there  is  no 
chance  for  you  to  return  now." 

"  I  shall  manage  to  escape  some  way  and 
you  shall  go  with  me  as  my  wife." 

Her  blushes  came  again.  "  I  did  not  know 
that  you  cared  that  much  for  me,"  she  said. 
Then,  as  if  to  change  the  subject,  she  pointed 
through  the  window.  "  See,  we  are  ap- 
proaching the  Park,  and  shall  descend  in.  a 
moment." 

He  looked  out  of  the  window  and  then 
drew  his  head  in  quickly. 


CHANGING   RUN.  197 

"  We  are  coming  clown  into  a  big  lake ! " 
he  cried  out. 

"  Oh,  no,  it  is  only  the  glass  roof  of  the 
park,"  she  laughed  ;  "  true,  it  does  look  like 
water  in  the  sunlight." 

The  machine  sank  lower  and  finally  rested 
on  a  plot  of  grass  in  a  little  square  orna- 
mented with  beds  of  flowers  and  white 
statues.  Thorndyke  saw  a  seemingly  end- 
less wall,  so  high  that  he  could  not  calculate 
its  height.  Bernardino  preceded  him  in  at 
a  great  arching  door  in  the  wall,  and  they 
found  themselves  in  a  stone-paved  vestibule 
several  hundred  feet  square. 

A  maid  servant  came  forward  at  once  and 
brought  heavy  fur  clothing  for  them  and 
invited  them  into  separate  toilet  rooms. 
When  he  came  out  Bernardino  was  waiting 
for  him.  He  could  hardly  breathe,  so  thick 
were  the  furs  he  had  put  on. 

"  It  is  warm  here,  but  it  will  be  colder 
in  a  moment,"  said  the  princess.  And  she 
led  him  to  a  door  across  the  room.  When 
the  door  was  opened,  Thorndyke  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  astonishment.  Before  their 
eyes  lay  a  wide  expanse  of  snow-covered 
roads,  woodlands  and  frozen  lakes  and 
streams.  The  ai  r  was  as  crisp  and  invigorat- 
ing as  a  Canadian  winter. 


198  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

Bernardino  led  him  to  a  pavilion  where  a 
number  of  pleasure-seekers  were  gathered 
and  selected  a  sleigh  and  two  mettlesome 
horses.  She  took  the  reins  from  the  man, 
and  sprang  lightly  into  the  graceful  cutter. 
Thorndyke  followed  her  and  wrapped  the 
thick  robes  about  her  feet.  Away  they  sped 
like  the  wind  down  the  smooth  road,  through 
a  leafless  forest.  Overhead  the  glass  roof 
could  not  be  seen,  but  a  lowering  gray  cloud 
hung  over  them  and  a  light  snow  was  fall- 
ing. 

"  Winter  Park  is  a  great  resort,"  the  prin- 
cess explained  ;  "  we  get  tired  of  the  un- 
changing climate,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  visit 
such  a  place  as  this.  There  is  a  winter 
park  in  every  town  of  any  size  in  Alpha." 

They  drove  along  the  shore  of  a  beautiful 
lake,  on  the  frozen  surface  of  which  hun- 
dreds of  skaters  were  darting  here  and  there, 
and  passed  hillsides  on  which  crowds  of 
young  people  were  coasting  in  sleds.  When 
they  had  driven  about  ten  miles  in  a  cir- 
cuitous route  she  turned  the  horses  round. 

"  We  had  better  return,"  she  said  ;  "  you 
have  not  seen  all  of  the  Park,  but  we  can 
visit  it  some  other  time." 

Outside  they  found  their  flying-machine 
awaiting  them,  and  were  soon  on  the  way 


CHANGING   SUN.  199 

back  to  the  city.  They  parted  at  the  fount- 
ain in  the  park,  she  hastening  to  the  palace, 
and  he  turning  to  stroll  through  the  little 
wood  behind  him. 

He  was  passing  a  thick  bunch  of  trees 
when  he  was  startled  by  hearing  his  name 
called.  He  turned  round,  but  at  first  saw 
no  one. 

"  Thorndyke  ! "  There  it  was  again,  and 
then  he  saw  a  hand  beckoning  to  him  from 
a  hedge  of  ferns  at  his  right.  He  stepped 
back  a  few  paces ;  a  man  came  out  of  the 
wood. 

It  was  Johnston,  his  face  was  white  and 
haggard,  his  clothing  rent  and  soiled. 

"  My  God,  can  it  be  you  ? "  gasped  the 
Englishman. 

"  Nobody  else,"  groaned  Johnston,  cau- 
tiously advancing  and  laying  a  trembling 
hand  on  the  arm  of  Thorndyke  ;  "  but  don't 
talk  loud,  they  will  find  me." 

"  Where  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

Johnston  pointed  first  to  the  east,  and 
then  swept  his  hand  over  the  sky  to  the 
west. 

"Over  the  wall,"  he  said  despondently. 
"From  the  dead  lands  behind  the  sun." 

"  How  did  you  get  back  here  ?" 

For  reply  Johnston  parted  the  fern  leaves 


200  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

and  pointed  to  the  lank  figure  of  the  tall 
Alphian,  who  lay  curled  up  on  the  grass  as 
if  asleep.  "  He  brought  me  in  that  flying- 
machine  there ;  but  he  has  spent  all  his 
strength  in  trying  to  manage  the  thing, 
which  was  out  of  order,  and  now  he  is  help- 
less. Twice  we  came  within  an  inch  of 
sinking  down  into  the  internal  fires.  The 
last  time  we  escaped  only  by  the  breadth  of 
a  hair  ;  if  he  had  not  had  the  endurance  of  a 
man  of  iron  he  would  have  succumbed  to 
the  heat  and  we  would  have  been  lost.  We 
sank  so  far  down  that  I  became  insensible 
and  never  knew  a  thing  till  the  fresh  air 
revived  me.  See,  my  beard  and  hair  are 
singed,  and  look  how  he  is  blistered.  Poor 
fellow !  He  is  a  hero."  Johnston  stepped 
back  and  shook  the  Alphian,  but  the  poor 
fellow's  head,  only  rolled  to  one  side, 
showing  his  bloodshot  eyes.  He  was  in- 
sensible. 

"  He  is  in  a  bad  fix,"  said  Thorn  dyke ; 
"  where  did  he  come  from  ?  " 

"  Banished  like  myself ;  we  met  over  there 
in  the  dark  and  roamed  about  together." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  was  following  his  lead. 
We  will  both  be  put  to  death  if  we  are 
discovered." 


CHANGING   SUN.  201 

"  Did  he  not  tell  you  his  plan  ?  " 

Johnston  started  visibly.  "  Oh,  I  forgot," 
he  exclaimed.  "  He  declares  that  all  this 
vast  cavern  is  in  danger.  Over  in  the  west 
we  discovered  a  hole  in  the  roof  through 
which  the  ocean  is  streaming  in  a  torrent. 
He  calculated  that  before  many  hours  the 
water  would  overflow  into  the  internal  fires 
and  produce  a  volcanic  eruption  that  will 
swallow  up  all  of  Alpha." 

"  Merciful  Heaven !  and  you  are  hiding 
here  at  such  a  moment  ?  The  king  must 
be  informed  at  once." 

Johnston  had  grown  suddenly  paler.  "  It 
may  not  be  as  bad  as  Branasko  feared,  and 
the  king  would  have  no  mercy  on  me  and 
him." 

"  Leave  that  to  me,"  said  Thorndyke  ;  "  I 
have  made  a  good  friend  of  the  Princess 
Bernardino.  She  will  tell  me  what  is  best 
to  do.     Remain  here." 

In  breathless  haste,  Thorndyke  went  into 
the  audience  chamber.  Fortunately  the 
king  was  not  on  his  throne,  and  he  caught 
sight  of  the  confidential  maid  of  the  prin- 
cess. 

She  saw  him  approaching,  and  withdrew 
behind  a  cluster  of  tall  white  jars  of  porce- 
lain containing  rare  plants. 


202  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

"  I  must  see  your  mistress,"  he  said  ;  "  tell 
her  to  come  to  me  at  once ;  we  are  in  great 
'peril ! " 

The  girl  swept  her  eyes  over  the  balconies 
and  the  throne  and  said :  "  She  is  in  her 
apartments,  sir ;  I  shall  bring  her." 

"Tell  her  to  meet  me  at  the  fountain 
where  we  last  met,"  and  he  hastened  back 
to  the  spot  mentioned. 

She  soon  came.  "  What  is  it  ? "  she 
asked  excitedly. 

"Johnston  is  back,"  he  replied.  "He 
is  in  the  wcJod  there  with  a  fellow  who  es- 
caped with  him  in  a  disabled  flying- machine. 
Pie  says  the  sea  has  broken  through  over  in 
the  Avest  and  is  streaming  into  Alpha  in  a 
torrent." 

"  Surely  there  is  some  mistake,"  she  said; 
"  such  a  thing  has  never  happened." 

"It  may  have  been  caused  by  the  explo- 
sives during  the  storm,"  went  on  Thorn- 
dyke.  "  Branasko,  the  Alphian  who  was 
with  Johnston,  says  we  are  in  imminent 
peril." 

"  There  must  be  some  mistake,"  she  re- 
peated incredulously,  as  she  looked  to  west- 
ward. The  green  glow  of  the  second  hour 
of  the  afternoon  lay  over  everything.  She 
stood  mute  and  motionless  for  a  long  time, 


CHANGING   SUN.  203 

looking  steadily  at  the  horizon  ;  then  she 
started  suddenly,  changed  her  position,  and 
shaded  her  eyes  from  the  sunlight. 

"  It  really  does  seem  to  me  that  there  is  a 
cloud  rising,  and  it  is  unlike  any  cloud  I 
ever  saw." 

"  I  see  it  too  !  "  cried  the  Englishman  ; 
"it  must  be  that  the  water  has  already 
reached  the  internal  fires." 

Bernardino  was  very  pale  when  she  turned 
to  him. 

"  My  father  must  know  this  at  once ;  come 
with  me." 

Into  the  palace,  through  the  vast  rotunda, 
past  the  throne,  and  into  the  very  apart- 
ment of  the  king  himself  she  led  him 
hastily.  A  royal  attendant  met  them  and 
held  up  his  hands  warningly. 

"  The  king  is  asleep,"  he  said  in  an  under- 
tone. 

"  Wake  him — wake  him  at  once !  "  com- 
manded the  excited  girl. 

"  I  cannot,  it  would  offend  him,"  was  the 
reply. 

She  did  not  pause  an  instant,  but  darting 
past  the  man  and  running  to  the  king's 
couch,  she  drew  the  curtain  aside  and 
touched  the  sleeper.  He  waked  in  anger, 
but  her  first  word  disarmed  him. 


204  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

"  Alpha  is  in  danger." 

"  What !  "  he  growled,  half  awake. 

"  The  sea  is  breaking  through  in  the  west, 

and  running  into  the  internal  fires." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  " 

"A  dense  cloud  is   rising  in  the  west, 

and " 

"Impossible!"   the  word  came  from  far 

down  in  his  throat,  and  he  was  ghastly  pale. 

He  ran  to  the  table  and  touched  a  button  and, 

to  the  astonishment  of  Thorndyke,  the  walls 

on  the  western  side  of  the  room   silently 

parted,  showing  a  little  balcony  overlooking 

the  street  below.    The  king  went  hastily 

out    and    looked    toward  the    west.    The 

others  followed  him. 

The  princess  stifled  a  cry  of  alarm  when 
she  glanced  at  the  sky. 

Great  black,  rolling  clouds  were  rapidly 
spreading  along  the  horizon. 

The  king  looked  at  them  as  helplessly  as 
a  frightened  child.  "  The  air !  "  he  groaned. 
"  It  is  hot !  "  and  then  he  held  out  his  hand 
to  the  princess,  and  showed  her  a  flake  of  soot 
on  it,  and  he  dumbly  pointed  to  others  that 
were  falling  about  them. 

"  How  did  you  discover  it  ? "  he  asked, 
and  Thorndyke  saw  that  he  was  trying  to 
appear  calm. 


CHANGING   SUN.  205 

"Mr. — this  gentleman's  friend  has  re- 
turned from  banishment,  and " 

"  Returned  !  has  the  wall  been  destroyed?" 

"  No  ;  he  accidentally  discovered  the  dan- 
ger, and  came  in  a  flying-machine  to  warn 
you." 

"  Where  is  he  ?  bring  him  to  me, 
quick ! " 

"  But  you  will  not " 

He  waved  his  hand  impatiently.  "  Go  ; 
if  Alpha  is  saved  he  shall  be  at  liberty — if  it 
is  not,  what  does  it  matter  ? " 

Thorndyke  hastened  away  after  Johnston, 
who,  when  he  was  told  of  the  king's  words, 
readily  accompanied  his  friend  to  the  pres- 
ence of  the  ruler.  They  found  him  with 
his  daughter  still  on  the  balcony. 

"  How  did  you  discover  this  ?"  asked  the 
king,  turning  to  the  American. 

As  quickly  as  possible,  Johnston  related 
his  adventures,  and  particularly  the  story 
of  the  shooting  fountain  and  the  fall  of  salt 
water.  The  king  did  not  Avait  for  him  to 
conclude.  He  ran  back  into  his  chamber, 
touched  another  button,  and  the  next 
instant  alarm-bells  were  ringing  all  over  the 
city. 

"  A  signal  to  the  protectors,"  explained 
the  princess  to  Thorndyke ;  "  by  this  time 


206  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

they  are  ringing  all  over  Alpha.  Oh,  what 
will  become  of  us  ?  "  as  she  spoke  she  leaned 
over  the  balustrade  and  looked  down  into 
the  street.  Vast  crowds  had  gathered  and 
were  motionless,  except  at  points  where 
the  purple-clad  "  protectors  "  rushed  from 
public  buildings  to  assemble  in  squads  on 
the  street  corner. 


CHANGING   SUN.  207 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Bernardino  turned  to  look  after  her  father 
as  he  was  leaving  the  room. 

"He  is  going  to  the  observatory,"  she 
said  to  Thorndyke  and  Johnston.  "  Let  us 
go  also  "  And  they  followed  the  king  into 
the  room  with  the  glass  roof  and  walls  cov- 
ered with  mirrors  which  he  had  shown  the 
strangers  several  days  before.  A  white- 
headed  old  man  stood  at  the  stand,  his 
fingers  trembling  over  the  half  circle  of 
electric  buttons.  In  a  mirror  before  him  he 
was  studying  the  reflection  of  a  town  of  per- 
haps a  hundred  houses.  The  streets  were 
filled  with  excited  citizens,  and  a  squad  of 
protectors  stood  ready  for  action  near  a  row 
of  flying-machines. 

"Ornethelo,"  said  the  king,  and  at  the 
sound  of  his  voice  the  old  man  turned  and 
bowed  humbly. 

"All  right,"  went  on  the  king,  "I  will 
take  your  place  a  moment."  He  went  to 
the  stand  and  touched  a  button.    Instantly 


208  THE   LAND   OT?  'rHE 

the  scene  changed ;  fields,  forests,  streams 
and  hills  ran  by  in  a  murky  blur,  and  then 
a  larger  town  flashed  on  the  mirror.  Here 
the  same  stir  and  alertness  characterized 
the  scene.  The  gaze  of  every  inhabitant 
was  fixed  on  the  threatening  horizon.  Rap- 
idly the  scenes  shifted  at  the  king's  will, 
till  a  hundred  cities,  towns  and  villages  had 
been  reviewed. 

"  Enough !  They  are  all  ready — all  faith- 
ful," groaned  the  king,  "  and,  Ornethelo,  they 
may  all  have  to  perish  to-day,  and  all  for 
our  ambition.     Poor  mortals !  " 

Ornethelo's  face  was  half  submerged  in 
the  beard  on  his  breast,  but  he  looked  up 
suddenly  and  spoke : 

"  For  their  sakes,  then,  we  ought  not  to 
delay ;  there  may  yet  be  hope." 

"  You  are  right,  Ornethelo."  There  was 
a  ring  of  hope  in  the  voice  of  the  king. 
"  Quick !  show  me  my  capitol,  that  I  may 
see  if  all  the  protectors  are  ready." 

Ornethelo  touched  another  button,  and,  as 
if  seen  from  a  great  height,  the  fair  and 
wondrous  city  dawned  before  the  eyes  of 
the  spectators.  In  every  street  policemen 
and  protectors  and  flying-machines  stood  in 
orderly  readiness.  The  housetops  were 
colored  with   the  variegated    costumes  of 


CHANGING   SUN.  209 

men,  women  and  children.  Over  all  lay 
the  wondrous  sunlight,  through  the  green 
splendor  of  which  the  flakes  of  soot  were 
falling  like  black  snow. 

The  king  touched  the  old  man's  arm.  "  I 
must  see  beyond  the  walls ;  are  the  connec- 
tions made  ?  " 

"  Ready,  sir." 

"  Try  them ;  they  must  not  fail  me 
now ! " 

The  old  man  tremblingly  unlocked  a  cabi- 
net on  the  table,  and  another  row  of  electric 
buttons  was  displayed.  Ornethelo  touched 
one.  Immediately  there  was  a  sharp  click- 
ing sound  under  the  stand,  and  the  view 
was  swept  from  the  mirror.  Nothing  could 
be  seen  but  a  dark  suggestion  of  towering 
cliffs  and  yawning  caverns. 

"  Not  the  east,  Ornethelo,"  cried  the 
king  impatiently.  "  Go  on  !  the  Avest !  the 
west ! " 

The  black  landscape  flashed  by  like  a 
glimpse  of  night  from  a  flying  train,  and 
then  a  blur  of  redly  illuminated  smoke  in 
rolling  billows  seemed  to  swell  out  from  the 
surface  of  the  mirror  into  the  room. 

"  There,  slow !  "  cried  the  king,  and  then 
a  frightful  scene  burst  upon  their  sight. 
They  beheld  a  great  belching  pit  of  fire  and 

1-x 


210  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

flames.  The  sky  from  the  earth  to  the  zenith 
was  a  vast  expanse  of  iUuminated  smoke, 
and  the  black  landscape  round  about  was 
cut  by  rivulets  of  molten  lava  rolling  on  and 
on  like  restless  streams  of  quicksilver. 

The  king  leaned  against  the  stand  as  if 
faint  with  despair.  "  Call  Prince  Arthur !  " 
he  ordered,  and  almost  at  that  instant  the 
young  man  appeared. 

"Father!" 

The  king  pointed  a  quivering  finger  at  the 
mirror,  and  said  huskily  : 

"  Let  not  the  sun  go  down  !  Let  its  light 
be  white  as  at  noon." 

"But,  father,  it  has  never  been  done  be- 
fore; it ^" 

"  Alpha  has  never  faced  such  danger.  All 
our  dream  is  about  to  end.     Go !  " 

Without  a  word  the  young  man  hastened 
away,  and  it  seemed  scarcely  a  moment  be- 
fore the  sunlight  streaming  in  at  the  oval 
glass  roof  changed  from  green  to  white. 

The  king  pushed  Ornethelo  impatiently 
aside;  his  eyes  held  a  dull  gleam  of  de- 
spair, and  he  seemed  to  have  grown  ten 
years  older.  He  touched  a  button,  and  the 
awful  scene  at  the  pit  gave  place  to  a  bright 
view  of  the  capitol,  which  was  plainly  seen 
from  its  crowded  centre  to  its  scattering 


CHANGING  SUN.  211 

suburbs.  The  squads  of  "protectors" 
stood  like  armies  ready  for  battle,  their 
rigid  faces  still  toward  the  awful  west. 

"  They  are  ready — the  signal !  "  yelled  the 
king,  waving  his  hand,  "  the  signal ! " 
Ornethelo  caught  his  breath  suddenly  and 
tottered  as  he  went  across  the  room,  and 
touched  a  button  on  the  wall.  The  king's 
eyes  were  glued  on  the  mirrored  view  of  the 
capitol,  his  trembling  hands  held  out,  as  if 
commanding  silence.  Then  a  deafening 
trumpet  blast  broke  on  the  ear.  The  masses 
of  citizens  pressed  near  the  edges  of  the 
roofs  and  close  against  the  walls  along  the 
streets,  as  the  protectors  rushed  into  the 
flying-machines.  Another  trumpet-blast, 
and  away  they  flew,  a  long  black  line,  every 
instant  growing  smaller  as  it  receded  in  the 
murky  distance. 

The  princess,  white  and  silent,  led  Thorn- 
dyke  and  Johnston  back  to  the  balcony. 

The  line  of  machines  was  now  a  mere 
thread  in  the  sky,  but  the  ominous  cloud  in 
the  west  had  increased,  and  fine  sand  and 
ashes  were  added  to  the  fall  of  soot. 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  gasped  the  princess. 
It  was  a  low  rumble  like  distant  thunder, 
and  the  balcony  shook  violently. 

"An  earthquake,"  said  Thorndyke.     "I 


212  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

am  really  afraid  there  is  not  a  ghost  of  a 
chance  for  us ;  the  water  running  into  the 
fire  is  sure  to  cause  an  eruption  of  some 
sort,  and  even  a  slight  one  would  be  likely 
to  enlarge  the  opening  to  the  ocean." 

Johnston  nodded  knowingly  as  he  looked 
into  his  friend's  face,  but,  considering  the 
presence  of  the  princess,  he  said  nothing. 

"My  brother.  Prince  Marentel,  is  the 
greatest  man  in  our  kingdom,"  she  re- 
marked. "  He  has  taken  enough  explosives 
to  remove  a  mountain." 

"  How  will  he  use  them  ?  "  asked  Thorn- 
dyke. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  fancy  he  will  try  to 
close  the  opening  in  some  way." 

The  latter  slowly  shook  his  head.  "  I  fear 
he  will  fail.  The  fall  must  be  as  voluminous 
as  Niagara  by  this  time." 

"  My  father  must  have  lost  hope,  or  he 
would  not  have  stopped  the  sun,"  sighed 
the  princess,  and  she  cast  a  sad  glance  to- 
wards the  west.  The  rolling  clouds  had 
become  more  dense,  and  the  rumbling  and 
booming  in  the  distance  was  growing  more 
frequent.  A  thin  gray  cloud  passed  before 
the  sun,  and  a  dim  shadow  fell  over  the 
city. 

"That  is  a  natural  cloud,"  said  Thorn- 


CHANGING   SUN.  213 

dyke ;  "  it  comes  from  the  steam  that  rises 
from  the  pit." 

"It  is  exactly  like  our  rain  clouds,"  re- 
turned the  princess  ;  "  but  it  comes  from 
the  steam,  as  you  say.  But  let  us  go  into 
the  Electric  Auditorium  and  hear  the  news. 
As  soon  as  anything  is  done  we  will  hear  of 
it  there."  The  others  had  no  time  to  ques- 
tion her,  for  she  was  hastening  into  the  cor- 
ridor outside.  She  piloted  them  down  a 
flight  of  stairs  into  a  large  circular  room  be- 
neath the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  was 
filled  with  seats  like  a  modern  theatre,  and 
in  the  place  where  the  stage  would  have 
been,  stood  a  mighty  mirror  over  an  hundred 
feet  square. 

She  led  them  to  a  private  box  in  front  of 
the  mirror.  The  room  was  filled  from  the 
first  row  of  chairs  to  the  rear  with  a  silent, 
anxious  crowd.  In  the  massive  frame  of 
the  mirror  were  numerous  bell-shaped  trum- 
pets like  those  on  the  ordinary  phonograph, 
though  much  larger. 

"Watch  the  mirror,"  whispered  Ber- 
nardino as  she  sat  down. 

And  at  that  instant  the  surface  of  the 
great  glass  began  to  glow  like  the  sky 
at  dawn,  and  all  the  lights  in  the  room 
went  out.     Then  from  the  trumpets  in  the 


214  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

frame  came  the  loud  ringing  of  musical 
bells. 

"  They  are  ready,"  whispered  Bernardino ; 
"  now  watch  and  listen." 

The  pink  light  on  the  mirror  faded,  and  a 
life-like  reflection  appeared — the  reflection 
of  a  young  man  standing  on  a  rock  in  bold 
relief  against  a  dark  background  of  rugged, 
slabbering  cliffs  and  the  forbidding  mouths 
of  caves. 

"  Waldmeer !  "  ejaculated  the  princess, 
and  she  relapsed  into  silence. 

Tlie  young  man  held  in  his  hand  a  cup- 
shaped  instrument  from  which  extended  a 
wire  to  the  ground.  He  raised  it  to  his  lips, 
and  instantly  a  calm,  deliberate  voice  came 
from  the  mirror,  soft  and  low  and  yet  loud, 
enough  to  reach  the  most  remote  parts  of 
the  great  room. 

"  The  ocean,"  began  he,  "  is  pouring  into 
the  'Volcano  of  the  Dead'  in  a  gradually 
increasing  torrent.  Prince  Marentel  hopes 
temporarily  to  delay  the  crisis  by  partially 
turning  the  torrent  away  from  the  pit  into 
the  lowlands  of  the  country.  For  that  pur- 
pose a  portion  of  the  endless  wall  is  being 
torn  down,  and  Marentel's  forces  are  plac- 
ing their  explosives.  After  this  is  done  an 
attempt  will  be  made  to  stop  the  original 


CHANGING   SUN.  215 

break.  There  is,  however,  little  hope.  The 
prince  has  warned  the  king  to  be  prepared 
for  the  worst." 

At  this  point,  the  speaker  turned  as  if 
startled  toward  the  red  glare  at  his  right. 
He  quickly  picked  up  another  instrument 
attached  to  a  wire  and  put  it  to  his  ear.  A 
look  of  horror  changed  his  face  as  he  turned 
to  the  audience  and  began  to  speak : — 

"The  opening  in  the  wall  is  not  progress- 
ing rapidly.  Workmen  are  drowning  and 
the  tunnel  of  the  sun  is  filling  with  water. 
It  will  be  impossible  for  the  sun  to  go 
through  to  the  east." 

Just  then  there  was  a  far-away  crash,  and 
instantly  the  mirror  was  void.  There  was 
now  no  sound  except  the  low  groans  of 
women  in  the  audience  and  the  subdued 
curses  of  maddened  men.  The  silence  was 
profound.  Then  the  mirror  began  to  glow, 
and  the  image  of  another  man  took  Wald- 
meer's  place. 

"  It  is  the  Mayor  of  Telmantio,"  whispered 
the  princess,  "  a  place  near  the  western 
limits  of  Alpha." 

He  held  a  like  instrument  to  the  one  used 
by  Waldmeer,  and  through  it  spoke: — 

"  Venus,  one  of  the  great  stars,  has  been 
shaken  from  the  firmament.     It  fell  in  the 


216  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

suburbs  of  Telmantio,  and  many  lives  were 
lost." 

That  was  all,  and  the  figure  vanished. 
Presently  Waldmeer  reappeared.  He 
seemed  to  be  standing  nearer  the  pit,  for  the 
entire  background  was  aflame ;  volumes  of 
black  smoke  now  and  then  hid  him  from 
view,  and  a  thick  shower  of  ashes  and  small 
stones  were  falling  round  him.  He  spoke, 
but  his  voice  was  drowned  in  a  deafening 
explosion,  and  the  whole  landscape  about 
him  seemed  afire.  In  the  semi-darkness 
hundreds  of  protectors  could  be  seen  strug- 
gling in  the  rushing  water,  moving  stones 
and  building  a  dam.  Waldmeer  again  faced 
his  far-off  audience  and  spoke : — 

"  Prince  Marentel  has  turned  the  course 
of  the  stream.  All  now  depends  on  the  suc- 
cess or  failure  of  his  final  test  with  explo- 
sives, which  will  take  place  in  about  half 
an  hour." 

"  We  ought  to  go  outside  again,"  suggest- 
ed Bernardino,  as  Waldmeer's  image  dis- 
appeared ;  "  my  father  might  want  us." 

Seeing  no  one  in  the  king's  apartment, 
they  passed  through  it  to  the  balcony. 
Half  the  sky  was  now  covered  with  mingled 
fog  and  smoke,  and  the  sun  could  be  seen 
only  now  and  then.     A  drizzling  rain  was 


CHANGING   SUN.  217 

falling — a  rain  that  brought  down  clots  of 
ashes  and  soot,  I>ut  this  made  no  differ- 
ence to  the  throngs  in  the  now  muddy  and 
slippery  streets.  They  stood  shivering  in 
damp  and  soiled  clothing,  their  blearing 
eyes  fixed  hopelessly  on  the  lowering  signs 
in  the  west. 

Johnston  noticed  a  bent  figure  crouched 
against  a  wall  beneath  them. 

It  was  Branasko. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  inquired  the  princess. 

"  Branasko,  the  companion  of  my  adven- 
tures," he  replied. 

"  Call  him  to  us,"  she  said  eagerly,  and 
the  American  went  down  to  the  Alphian. 

As  they  entered  together,  Branasko  un- 
covered his  dishevelled  head  and  bowed  most 
humbly. 

"  You  look  tired  and  sick  and  hungry ; 
have  you  eaten  anything  to-day  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  Not  in  two  days,"  he  replied. 

The  princess  called  to  a  frightened  maid 
who  was  wringing  her  hands  in  a  corridor. 

"Give  this  man  food  and  drink  at  once," 
she  ordered,  and  Branasko,  with  a  grateful 
bow  and  glance,  withdrew.  Johnston  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  door. 

"  Fear  nothing,"  he  said.     "  If  the  danger 


218  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

passes  we  are  safe ;  tlie  king  has  promised 
to  pardon  me,  and  he  will  do  the  same  for 
you." 

"  There  is  no  hope  for  any  of  us,"  replied 
Branasko  grimly ;  "  but  I  do  not  want  to 
die  with  this  gnawing  in  my  stomach ; 
adieu." 

"  If  the  worst  comes,  is  there  any  chance 
for  us  to  escape  from  here  to  the  outer 
world?"  the  Englishman  was  asking  the 
princess  when  Johnston  turned  back  to 
them. 

"For  a  few  hundred,  yes, — by  the  sub- 
water  ships,  but  for  all,  no ;  and,  then,  my 
father  would  not  consent  to  rescue  a  part 
and  not  the  whole  of  his  subjects.  He  would 
not  try  to  save  himself  or  any  of  his  family." 

The  clouds  still  covered  the  sun ;  but  on 
the  eastern  sky  its  rays  were  shining  glori- 
ously. Ever  and  anon  there  sounded  from 
afar  a  low  rumbling  as  if  the  earth  were 
swelling  with  heat. 

Johnston  left  the  two  lovers  together  and 
went  to  the  door  of  the  Electric  Auditorium, 
and  over  the  heads  of  the  breathless  crowd 
he  watched  the  great  mirror.  After  a  few 
moments  Waldmeer  appeared  and  spoke  : 

"  Prince  Marentel  is  operating  with  great 
difficulty.    A  large  quantity  of  his  explo- 


CHANGING  SUN.  219 

sives  has  been  injured  by  water,  but  he 
hopes  there  is  enough  left  intact  to  serve 
his  purpose.  The  final  explosion  will  soon 
take  place.  The  greatest  peril  hangs  over 
Alpha." 

Waldmeer's  reflection  was  becoming  in- 
distinct, and  sick  at  heart  the  American 
elbowed  his  way  through  the  muttering 
crowd  into  the  corridor.  Here  he  met 
Branasko,  and  together  they  walked  back 
to  Thorndyke  and  the  princess,  who  were 
mutely  watching  the  signs  in  the  east. 
Just  then  the  sun  slowly  emerged  from  the 
cloud. 

"  Look !  "  cried  Bernardino  in  horror. 
"  The  cloud  is  not  moving ;  the  sun  has  not 
stopped !  It  is  going  down  and  we  shall 
soon  be  in  utter  darkness.  Oh,  it  is  awful — 
to  die  in  this  way  !  " 

The  king  had  just  returned,  and  he  over- 
heard her  words.  He  came  hastily  to  the 
edge  of  the  balcony,  and  gazed  at  the  sun. 
The  others  held  their  breath  and  waited. 

His  face  became  more  rigid ;  he  swayed 
a  little  as  he  turned  to  her. 

"  You  are  right,  my  daughter,"  he  groaned ; 
"  it  is  going  down ;  the  cowardly  dogs  in 
the  east  have  deserted  their  posts.  It  is 
going  down !     It  will   sink  into  a  tunnel 


220  THE  LAND   OF   THE 

filled  with  water,  and  the  light  of  Alpha  will 
be  extinguished  forever.  We  are  undone ! 
Say  your  prayers,  my  child,  your  prayers, 
I  tell  you,  for  an  Infinite  God  is  angry  at  our 
pretensions ! " 

"  Don't  despair,  father, "  and  Bernardino 
put  her  arms  gently  round  the  old  man's 
neck.  "  You  understand  the  solar  machin- 
ery ;  could  you  not  stop  the  sun  ?  " 

The  eyes  of  the  old  man  flashed.  He 
seemed  electrified  as  he  drew  himself  from 
her  embrace  and  looked  anxiously  over  the 
balustrade  to  a  flying-machine  in  the  street 
below. 

"  I  might  reach  the  east  in  time, "  he 
cried ;  "  yes,  you  are  right,  I  was  acting 
cowardly.  The  fastest  air-ship  in  Alpha  is 
ready,  and  Nanleon  can  drive  it  to  its  utmost 
speed.  If  the  worst  comes,  I  shall  see  you 
no  more,  good-bye !  "  He  kissed  her  brow 
tenderly,  and  her  eyes  filled  as  he  hastened 
away.  Down  below  they  saw  him  spring 
lightly  into  the  gold-mounted  car,  and  the 
next  instant  the  graceful  vessel  rose  above 
the  palace  roof  and  sped  like  an  arrow 
across  the  sky  toward  tlie  east. 

A  faint  cheer  broke  from  the  lips  of  the 
crowd  which  seemed  suddenly  to  take  new 
hope  from  the  king's  departure.     Some  of 


CHANGING  SUN.  221 

them  waved  their  hats  and  scarfs,  and  many- 
watched  the  air- ship  till  it  had  disappeared 
in  the  murky  distance. 

"  He  may  not  get  there  in  time  !  "  cried 
the  princess ;  "it  seems  to  be  going  down 
faster  than  it  ever  did  before,  and  he  has  a 
great  distance  to  go." 

The  little  party  on  the  balcony  were 
silent  for  a  long  time.  Presently  Bernardino 
turned  her  tearful  eyes  to  the  face  of  Thorn- 
dyke. 

"  The  smoke  and  steam  do  not  seem  so 
voluminous,  do  you  think  all  will  go  well  ?  " 

The  Englishman  slowly  shook  his  head. 
"  I  don't  want  to  depress  you  more  than 
you  are  ;  but  I  think  at  such  a  time  we 
ought  to  realize  the  worst.  It  is  true,  the 
clouds  are  not  so  heavy,  and  the  earth- 
quakes are  less  frequent,  but,  unfortunately, 
it  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  volume  of 
water  has  been  turned  away  from  the  pit 
into  the  tunnel.  Be  prepared  for  the  worst. 
If  your  father  cannot  reach  the  machinery 
in  the  east  soon  enough,  our  light  will  go 
out ;  and,  worse  than  that,  if  Prince  Marentel 
should  fail  in  his  next  venture  with  ex- 
plosives, all  hope  will  be  gone." 

"  I  have  never  desired  to  live  so  much  as 
now,  "  she  answered,  inclining  with  an  air 


222  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

of  tenderness  toward  him.  "  I  never  knew 
what  it  was  to  fear  death  till — till  you  came 
to  us. " 

He  made  no  reply.  There  was  a  lump  in 
his  throat  and  he  oould  not  trust  his  voice 
to  speech.  Branasko  and  Johnston  left 
them  together  to  go  into  the  Electric  Audi- 
torium.    They  returned  in  great  haste. 

"  The  prince  is  ready  for  the  explosion, " 
panted  Johnston.  "Thorndyke,  old  man, 
this  is  simply  awful !  It  is  not  like  standing 
up  to  be  shot  at,  or  being  jerked  through 
the  clouds  in  a  balloon.  It  seems  to  me 
that  out  there  is  the  endless  space  of  infinity, 
and  that  all  the  material  world  is  coming  to 
an  end.  My  God !  look  at  that  hellish  fire,  the 
awful  smoke  and  that  black  sky !  Oh,  the 
blasphemy  of  a  such  a  paltry  imitation  of 
the  handiwork  of  the  Creator!  We  are 
damned !  I  say  damned,  and  by  a  just  and 
angry  God !  " 

"  Don't  be  a  fool, "  said  Thorndyke,  and 
he  threw  a  warning  glance  at  Bernardino, 
who,  with  staring,  distended  eyes  was 
listening  to  Johnston. 

"  No,  he  is  right, "  she  said  in  a  low  tone. 
"  I  have  never  seen  your  world,  but  I  know 
my  people  must  be  woefully  wrong.  In 
your  land  they  say  men  teach  things  about 


CHANGING   SUN.  223 

Infinity  and  an  eternal  life  for  the  soul ;  and 
that  one  may  prepare  for  that  life  by  living 
pure,  and  in  striving  to  attain  a  high  spirit- 
ual state.  Oh,  why  have  you  not  told  me 
about  that  ?  It  is  the  one  important  thing. 
I  have  long  wanted  to  know  if  my  soul  will 
be  safe  at  death,  but  I  can  learn  nothing  of 
my  people.  They  have  always  tried  to  rival 
God,  and,  in  their  mad  pursuit  of  perfection 
in  science,  they  have  been  reduced  to — this. 
That  black  cloud  is  the  frown  of  God,  those 
mad  flames  may  burst  forth  at  any  moment 
and  engulf  us. " 

She  tittered  a  low  groan  and  hung  her 
head  as  if  in  prayer.  Johnston  and  Thorn- 
dyke  were  awed  to  silence.  Never  had  the 
Englishman  loved  her  as  at  that  moment. 
She  was  no  longer  simply  a  beautiful  human 
creature,  but  a  divinity,  speaking  truths 
from  Heaven  itself.  He  felt  too  unworthy 
to  stand  in  her  presence,  and  yet  his  heart 
was  aching  to  comfort  her. 

She  raised  her  pallid  face  heavenward  and 
extended  her  fair,  fragile  hands  toward  the 
lowering  sky  and  began  to  pray.  "  My 
Creator,"  she  said  reverently,  childishly, 
"  I  have  never  come  to  Thee,  but  they  say 
that  people  far  away  from  this  dark  land, 
under  Thy  own  sun,  moon  and  stars  do  ask 


224  THE   LAND   OF    THE 

aid  of  Thee,  and  I,  too,  want  Thy  he]n. 
Forgive  me  and  my  people.  They  have 
been  sinful,  and  vain,  and  thoughtless,  but 
let  them  not  perish  in  utter  gloom.  For- 
give them,  O  thou  Maker  of  all  that  exist?--  - 
thou  Creator  of  pain  that  we  may  love  j<^y, 
Creator  of  evil  that  we  may  know  good, 
turn  not  from  us  !  We  are  but  thoughtless 
children— and  Thy  children — give  us  time  to 
realize  the  awful  error  of  our  hollow  pit  - 
tensions  !  Give  them  all  now,  at  onc(>,  if 
they  are  to  die,  that  spirit  which  is  awak- 
ened in  me  by  the  awful  majesty  of  Thy 
anger  !  Hear  me,  O  God  !  "  And  with  a 
sob  she  sank  on  her  knees,  clasped  her  hands 
and  raised  them  upward.  Thorndyke  tried 
to  lift  her  up,  but  she  shook  her  head  and' 
continued  her  prayer  in  silence.  A  marked 
change  had  come  over  Branasko.  He  looked 
at  Johnst  -i  and  Thorndyke  in  a  strange, 
helpless  way,  and  then,  in  a  corner  of  the 
balcony  the  begrimed  and  tattered  man  fell 
on  his  knees.  He  knew  not  the  meaning  of 
prayer,  but  there  was  something  in  the  rev- 
erent attitude  of  the  princess  that  drevr 
his  untutored  beinsr  toward  his  Maker.  lb 
covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and  hi 
shaggy  head  sank  to  his  knees. 
Johnston  hastened  back  into  the  Audit; 


CHANGING   SUN,  225 

1.    Returning  in  a  moment,  he  found  the 

glishman  tenderly  lifting  Bernardino 
a'om  her  knees  and  Branasko  still  crouching 
in  a  corner. 

"  What  is  the  news  ?  "  asked  Thorndyke. 

"  Everything  is  ready  for  the  explosion. 

e  prince  seems  only  waiting  because  he 

jads  failure.  The  people  in  there  are  so 
frightened  that  they  cannot  move  from  their 
seats." 

Just  then  Branasko  raised  a  haggard 
face  and  looked  appealingly  at  the  princess. 
She  caught  his  eye. 

"  Fear  nothing,  good  man,"  she  said ;  "  the 
God  of  the  Christians  will  not  harm  us  ;  we 
are  safe  in  His  hands.  I  felt  it  here  in  my 
heart  when  I  prayed  to  Him.  Oh,  why  has 
my  father  and  the  other  kings  of  Alpha  not 
taught  us  that  grand  simple  truth !  But 
l)efore  I  die  I  want  to  leave  this  irk  pit  of 
sin,  and  look  out  once  into  endless,  world- 
filled  space." 

A  joyous  flush  came  into  the  face  of  the 
Alphian.  His  fear  had  vanished.  She  had 
promised  him  safety.  He  bowed  worship- 
fully,  but  he  spoke  not,  for  Bernardino  was 
3agerly  pointing  to  the  sun. 

"  Look !  "  she   cried   gleefully,   with  the 

merry  tremulo  of  a  happy,  surprised  child. 
15 


226  THE  LAND   OF  THE 

"  The  sun  is  not  moving.  Father  has  been 
successful !  It  is  a  good  omen !  God  will 
save  us !  " 

It  was  true ;  the  sun  was  standing  still. 
A  deep  silence  was  on  the  city.  The  crowds 
in  the  street  neither  moved  nor  spoke. 
Without  a  murmur  or  complaint  they  stood 
facing  the  frowning  west.  Suddenly  the 
silence  was  interrupted  by  a  low  volcanic 
rumble.  The  earth  heaved,  and  rolled,  and 
far  away  in  the  suburbs  of  tlie  city  the  spire 
of  a  public  building  fell  with  a  loud  crash. 
A  groan  swept  from  mouth  to  mouth  and 
then  died  away. 

"  The  cloud  is  increasing  rapidly,"  said 
Thorndyke.  "  I  can  really  see  little  hope. 
I  shall  return  in  a  moment."  While  lie 
was  gone  Bernardino  knelt  and  prayed. 
Again  overcome  with  fear  Branasko 
crouched  down  in  his  corner.  Another 
shudder  and  rumble  from  the  earth,  an- 
other long  moan  from  the  people.  Thorn- 
dyke  came  back.    Tie  spoke  to  the  princess  : 

"  The  dam  built  by  Prince  Marentel  has 
been  swept  away.  The  ocean  is  pouring 
into  the  internal  fires.  There  is  scarcely 
any  hope  now."  Branasko  groaned,  but 
Bernardino's  face  was  aglow  with  celestial 
faith.    She  shook  her  head. 


4 


CHANGING   SUN. 


227 


"  They  will  not  be  destroyed  in  this  way  " 
she  said ;  "  they  have  had  no  chance  to  know 

God." 

«  It  all  depends  on  the  explosion  which 
may  take  place  at  any  moment,"  and  Thorn- 
dyke  took  her  into  his  arms  and  wliispered 
into  her^ar,  "  I  do  not  care  for  myself ;  but 
I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  your  suffering 

pam" 

She  answered  only  by  pressing  his  hand. 
The  clouds  were  now  rolling  upward  in 
greater  volume  than  ever.  It  was  growing 
darker.  The  little  group  on  the  balcony 
could  now  scarcely  see  the  people  below 
them.  The  fall  of  damp  ashes  was  resumed. 
The  air  had  grown  hot  and  close. 

Boom !  Boom !  Boom !  the  streets  of  the 
city  rose  and  fell  with  the  undulating  mo- 
tion of  a  swelling  sea.  Blacker  and  blacker 
grew  the  sky  ;  closer  and  closer  the  atmos- 
phere; damper  and  damper  became  the  fog; 
thicker  and  thicker  fell  the  wet  sand  and 
ashes. 

"  Perhaps  we  would  be  safer  in  the 
streets,"  suggested  Thorndyke,  drawing 
Bernardino  closer  into  his  arms,  "  the  palace 
may  fall  on  us."  But  the  princess  shook 
her  head.  "  Father  would  not  know  where 
to  find  me,  I  shall  await  him  here."     Bra- 


228  THE   LAND    OF   THE 

nasko  had  edged  nearer  to  her.  His  eyes 
were  glued  on  her  face  and  he  hung  on  her 
words  as  if  liis  fate  were  in  her  liands.  He 
had  no  regard  for  the  opinions  of  tlie  others. 

"  Tlie  explosion  will  soon  take  place  now 
unless  something  has  happened  contrary  to 
the  expectations  of  the  prince,"  said  the 
Englislnnan. 

Boom  !  Boom  !  kr-kr-kr-kr-boom  !  The 
noise  seemed  to  shake  tlie  earth  to  its 
centre.  Now  tlie  far-away  pit  was  belch- 
ing forth  fire  and  molten  lava  rather  than 
steam  and  smoke.  The  flames  had  spread 
out  against  the  sloping  roof  of  the  cavern, 
and  seemed  to  extend  for  a  mile  along  the 
horizon.  "  They  can  do  nothing  in  that 
heat,"  exclaimed  Johnston  ;  "  they  could  not 
get  near  enough  to  the  pit.  Thorndyke,  old 
fellow,  I  can't  see  a  ghost  of  a  chance.  We 
might  as  well  say  good-bye." 

"  Hush  !  "  It  was  the  voice  of  the  prin- 
cess. "  I  feel  that  we  shall  not  be  lost,  I 
say."  And  as  she  spoke  Branasko  crept 
toward  her  and  raised  the  hem  of  her  gown 
to  his  white  lips.  Something  dark  came 
between  them  and  the  far-off  glare.  It  was 
a  flying-machine. 

"  It  is  father,"  cried  Bernardino,  and  she 
called  out  to  him  :  "  Father !  father !    Here 


CHANGING   SUN.  229 

we  are,  waiting  for  you  !  "  In  a  moment  he 
was  with  them. 

"  All  right  in  the  east,"  he  said  gloomily. 
"  Baryonay  is  there.  They  deserted  him,  but 
they  returned  when  the  flames  went  down. 
This  is  awful,  daughter ;  it  means  death ! 
It  means  annihilation !  " 

She  put  her  arms  round  his  neck  and 
drew  his  face  close  to  hers.  "  No,  no,"  she 
said  earnestly ;  "  I  see  with  a  new  light — a 
new  spiritual  light.  There  is  mercy  in  the 
divine  heart  of  Ilim  that  made  the  walls  of 
our  little  world  and  constructed  countless 
other  worlds.  I  have  prayed  for  mercy,  and 
into  my  heart  has  come  a  sweet  peace  I 
never  knew  before.  We  shall  not  be  lost. 
He  will  give  us  time  to  give  up  our  sinful 
life  here  and  seek  Him." 

The  old  man  quivered  as  with  ague ;  he 
searched  her  face  eagerly,  drew  her  spas- 
modically into  his  arms,  and  then  sank  to 
the  floor,  overcome  with  exhaustion. 

The  roar  in  the  west  was  increasing.  Hot 
ashes,  gravel  and  small  stones  were  falling 
on  the  roofs  and  the  people.  Now  and  then 
a  cry  of  pain  was  heard,  but  they  would  not 
seek  the  shelter  of  the  buildings.  If  they 
had  to  die  they  wanted  to  fall  facing  the 
enemy.     Suddenly  the  king  rose.    He  looked 


230  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

to  the  west  and  groaned.  Something  told 
them  that  the  explosion  was  coming.  Ex- 
pectation, horrible  suspense  was  in  the  air. 
There  was  a  mighty  flare  of  light.  The 
entire  heavens  were  lighted  from  horizon  to 
horizon,  and  then  the  light  went  out. 

"  Oh,  I  thought  it "  but  the  princess 

did  not  finish  her  sentence. 

"  The  explosion,"  said  Thorndyke,  "  the 
sound  will  follow  in  a  moment." 

"  My  God,  liave  mercy  on  us !  "  cried  the 
king.  ]>ut  his  prayer  was  drowned  in  a 
deafening  sound.  Dernardino  liad  leaned 
into  the  arms  of  her  lover.  "Don't  de- 
spair," he  said  tenderly,  "  the  prince  may 
have  been  successful." 

"  I  feel  tliat  he  has,"  she  replied.  "  But, 
oh,  it  is  dreadful  I " 

The  crowds  below  seemed  to  understand 
that  their  fate  depended  on  the  news  that 
would  reach  them  in  a  few  minutes. 

Boom  !  Boom !  kr-kr-kr-kr-boom  !  There 
seemed  to  be  no  lessening  of  the  volcanic  dis- 
turbance, and  the  earth  groaned  and  rocked 
and  quivered  as  before. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  tell  yet,"  groaned  the 
king.  "Oh,  God,  save  us  ;  give  us  a  chance 
to  escape  this  awful  doom  !  " 

Johnston  bethought  himself  that  he  might 


CHANGING   SUN.  231 

learn  something  in  the  Electric  Auditorium 
and  he  went  into  it.  It  was  empty  and 
dark  ;  not  a  soul  was  there  save  himself. 
He  was  turning  to  leave  when  his  eye  was 
drawn  to  the  great  mirror  by  a  faint  pink 
glow  appearing  upon  it.  He  stood  still,  a 
superstitious  fear  coming  over  him  as  he 
thought  of  being  alone  with  a  possible  mes- 
senger from  the  far-away  scene  of  disaster. 
The  light  went  out  tremblingly ;  then  it 
flashed  up  again,  and  the  American  thought 
he  saw  the  face,  of  Waldmeer.  The  light 
grew  steadier,  stronger.  It  was  Waldmeer, 
but  he  was  submerged  in  smoke.  Hark  I  he 
was  speaking. 

"Marentel  is  successful !  Entrance  closed 
temporarily,  and  will  be  strengthened!  " 

Johnston  rushed  out  to  the  balcony. 

"  I  have  been  to  the  Auditorium,"  he  an- 
nounced. "  I  have  seen  Waldmeer.  He 
says  the  experiment'  was  successful.  It  is 
closed  temporarily,  and  can  be  strength- 
ened." 

The  king  grasped  the  hand  of  the  Amer- 
ican. "Thank  God !"  he  ejaculated,  "if  I 
can  only  save  my  people  I  shall  desire  noth- 
ing more."  The  princess  moved  toward  him 
affectionately,  but  he  put  her  aside  and  re- 
tired into  the  palace. 


282  THE   LAND   OF   THE 

"  He  will  at  once  communicate  with  the 
people,"  remarked  Bernardino  hopefully, 
•  and  she  turned  her  face  again  toward  the 
west.  The  red  glare  was  dying  down,  and 
the  dense  clouds  in  the  sky  were  thinning. 
In  an  hour  the  face  of  the  sun  broke 
through  the  smoke,  and  the  flying-machines 
of  the  protectors  began  to  return. 

That  night  the  king  caused  the  pink  light 
of  the  "  Ideal  Dawn  "  to  flood  the  eastern 
sky,  and,  as  before,  he  appeared  in  a  circle 
of  dazzling  light  and  addressed  his  sub- 
jects : 

"  All  danger  to  life  is  over ;  but  the  ulti- 
mate fate  of  Alpha  is  sealed.  Prince  Mar- 
entel  has  effectually  closed  the  entrance  of 
the  ocean,  but  the  internal  fires  are  grad- 
ually burning  through  the  rocky  bed  of  the 
ocean.  In  a  couple  of  years  Alpha  will  be 
demolished.  All  our  wealth  shall  be  equally 
distributed  among  you,  and  my  ships  shall 
transport  you  to  whatever  destination  you 
desire.  Let  there  be  no  haste.  Order  shall 
be  preserved  throughout." 

That  was  all.  The  king  bowed  and  the 
picture  faded  from  view.  A  deep  silence 
was  over  everything.  The  only  light  came 
from  the  stars  and  from  the  moon.    Then 


CHANGING   SUN.  233 

there  was  a  sound  like  the  wind  passing 
over  a  vast  forest  of  dry-leaved  trees — the 
people  were  returning  to  their  homes. 

"  I  should  have  thought  they  would  greet 
the  king's  announcement  with  a  cheer  of 
joy,"  said  Thorndyke  to  the  princess,  as  they 
returned  to  the  palace. 

"  They  don't  know  Avhether  to  weep  or 
laugh,"  she  replied.  "  They  love  Alpha, 
and  the  other  world  will  he  strange  to  most 
of  them.  As  for  myself,  now  that  I  am  to 
leave,  I  feel  a  few  misgivings." 

"  I  shall  see  that  you  are  perfectly  happy," 
he  said  tenderl5^  "  You  are  to  be  my  wife. 
I  shall  always  love  you  and  care  for  you ; 
you  need  have  no  fears." 

And  a  moment  later,  with  joyous  tears 
and  face  aglow,  she  assured  him  she  had 
none. 


TlilO    KM). 


Napoleon, 

Lover  and  Husband 

By  FREDERIC  MASSON 


Translated   from   the    14th   French   Edition 
By  J.  M.  HOWELL 


FIVE    PHOTOGRAVURE    PLATES,    320    PAGES, 
5VO,   CLOTH,  GILT    TOP.   $2.00 


*  *  *  *  Frederic  Masson  has  undertaken  to  reveal  the  lover's 
side,  as  it  may  be  called,  of  Napoleon,  from  the  precocious  youth 
to  the  day  that  he  died  at  St.  Helena.  l"he  book  is  what  might 
be  called  a  "revelation,"  for,  though  many  of  the  names  and 
episodes  treated  have  been  vaguely  touched  before,  the  present 
author  has  buttressed  his  statements  by  documents  which  a 
court  of  law  would  be  compelled  to  pronounce  unimpeachable. 
And,  indeed,  without  documents,  the  Napoleon  presented  in 
Frederic  Masson's  volume,  "  Napoleon,  Lover  and  Husband," 
would  be  hardly  credible,  for,  if  there  is  one  saliency  in  Napo- 
leon's character  that  stands  out  beyond  others  in  the  recorded 
actions  of  his  life,  it  is  his  determined  hostility  to  feminine  inter- 
ference in  affairs  of  state,  or  even  affairs  of  the  family.  It  was 
his  supposed  impassive  indifference  to  the  sex  that  first  won  him 
the  incredulous  interest  of  the  Parisians,  when,  as  the  head  of 
the  Italian  army  at  twenty-five,  he  sternly  put  aside  the  usual 
gallantries  that  follow  "  war's  alarms,"  and  found  time  only  for 
conjugal  letters  to  the  absent  Josephine. 

*  *  *  *  Paris,  and  indeed  all  Europe,  seems  to  be  struck  with 
the  remarkable  recrudescence  of  the  Napoleonic  legends.  Not 
only  are  plays  reviving  the  career  of  Napoleon  presented  on  two 
or  three  of  the  Parisian  stages  simultaneously,  but  half  the 
national  periodicals  are  deep  in  new  "studies"  of  the  extinct 
volcano.  IMasson's  book,  which,  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  is 
exciting  a  sensation  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Rome,  derives  its 
chief  force  from  the  fact  that  the  revelations  are  drawn  from 
friendly  sources,  and  the  writer  presents  the  result  rather  in  the 
rpirit  of  a  philosophic  and  admiring  friend  than  a  severe  censor 
of  morals  or  a  critic  of  character. 


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M.  Q.  McClelland 

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"  BROADOAKS."    "  OBLIVION,"  "  PRINCESS," 

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told. " — iVe7v  ^Orleans  Picay^ttic. 

"  This  is  a  romance  containing  plenty  of  incident, 
and  vigorous  in  its  telling.  It  is  a  story  well  calculated 
to  hold  the  interest  of  the  reader." — N.   Y.  Sun. 

"Is  another  of  M.  G.  McClelland's  literary  gems." 
— Baltimore  A  nierican. 

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"  This  is  a  charming  little  story  and  one  that  will  be 
read  with  pleasure." — Savannah  A^ews. 

"This  is  a  delightfully  told  story  of  the  old  days." 
— Boston  Times. 

"  To  begin  it  is  to  read  it." — Philadelphia  Call. 

".  .  .  It  leaves  a  pleasant  taste  in  the  mind,  so 
to  speak,  and  is  well  worth  reading." — Burlington 
Haiukeve. 


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of  price  by 

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I  INGUA  GEMMAE  •:• 

-     A  Cycle  of  Gems  by  ADA  L  SUTTON 


Profusely  Illustrated    by   flary  Fairman 
Clark.     i6mo,  Cloth,  Gilt  Top,  $1.50 


'S'  (^  ^  ^  ^*  ©  (^  ©  © 


n^HIS  little  book  is  the  most  complete  thing 
of  the  kind  ever  published.  It  com- 
prises a  description  of  one  hundred  precious 
stones,  with  their  poetic  selections,  properties,  ' 
localities,  and  sentiments,  and  the  explanations 
are  clear,  concise  and  comprehensive,  and  as  a 
lland-Book  of  Precious  Gems  the  book  will 
be  invaluable  to  jewellers  and  lapidaries. 

The  poems  have  been  selected  from  the  most 
popular  poets  of  the  day,  and  with  its  dainty 
binding  and  attractive  illustrations.  Lingua 
Gemm.€  will  prove  one  of  the  most  tempting 
gift-books  published  for  the  holidays. 


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Belle-Plante  •  and  •  Cornelius 

.  .  BY  .  . 

CLAUDE  TILLIER 

Author  of  "My  Uncle  Benjamin" 


H-UUSTRKTBD,    127VA:0,    CI-OTH,    $1.2S 


One  cannot  have  too  much  of  Claude  TilHer.  He  stands  forth 
in  bold  relief  as  an  eloquent  example  of  the  rugged,  honest 
style  of  the  past,  made  more  effective  by  virtue  of  contrast  with 
the  conventional,  artificial  style  of  to-day.  He  appeals  to  us 
with  an  old  gospel  newly  interpreted— the  gospel  of  humanity. 
He  calls  a  spade  a  spade,  and  speaks  from  the  heart.  Others 
have  done  the  former,  but  so  few,  comparatively  speaking,  have 
done  the  latter  that  Tillier  is  almost  unique. 

As  a  story  "  Belle-Plante  and  Cornelius"  may  not  have  the 
direct  human  interest  of  "  My  Uncle  Benjamin";  but,  as  a  keen 
and  sympathetic  study  of  the  fair  ideal  and  the  bald  real,  of  the 
higher  and  baser  instincts  of  man,  of  the  diversity  of  types,  of 
the  compensations  of  genius,  and  of  the  charms  of  the  muck- 
rake, it  ranks  far  above  the  other  book.  Belle-Plante  and  his 
brother,  Cornelius,  are  as  undeniable  types  of  to-day  and  of  every 
age  as  are  Dives  and  Lazarus.  Belle-Plante  represents  the  spirit 
of  greed  which  nurses  the  real  because  of  its  intrinsic  value  as  a 
marketable  commodity.  Cornelius  stands  for  the  Sisyphus  who 
toils  up  the  slope  which  leads  to  the  height  of  fame,  hampered 
at  every  step,  strained  at  every  point,  and  frequently  borne  back- 
ward by  the  weight  of  the  commonplace.  Belle-Plante  is  the 
plodder,  Cornelius  is  the  poet.  Belle-Plante  is  the  world,  which 
exacts  every  farthing  of  tribute  ere  it  will  listen  to  the  dreaming 
Cornelius.  Belle-Plante  is  humanity,  which  steals  the  fruits  of 
genius  and  leaves  Cornelius  penniless.  Cornelius  is  Tillier,  but 
slightly  idealized,  while  Belle-Plante  is  the  ill  fortune  which 
robbed  the  world  of  a  philosopher.  In  refusing  to  give  his  brother 
meat  and  drink,  Belle-Plante  merely  gives  the  highest  expression 
to  commercial  benevolence. 


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My  DNCLE  BENJAMIHa 


A     HUMOROUS    AND     •     •     •     > 
•     •     PHILOSOPHICAL     NOVEL 


BY 


CLAUDE   TILLIER 


ILLUSTRATED,     1  2MO,    CLOTH,    $1.25 


A  novel  unlike  any  other,  by  an  author  unlike  any  other;  a 
novel  that  has  no  equivalent  in  the  literature  of  this  century; 
a  novel  which,  despite  the  pessimism  with  which  it  opens  and  the 
pathos  with  which  it  closes,  must  take  rank  amon.y  the  wittiest 
and  most  humorous  ever  written;  a  novel  of  philosophy,  of  prog- 
ress, of  reality,  of  humanity;  a  novel  of  the  heart  and  of  the 
head;  a  novel  which  is  less  a  work  of  art  than  a  work  of  genius. 


The  Brooklyn  Eagle  says:  "This  book  is  a  production 
worthy  to  take  rank  with  the  best  of  Fielding's,  Smollett's, 
Richardson's,  Marryatt's,  or  any  of  the  old  English  novels,  for 
its  hearty,  healthy  sense  and  sentiment  and  its  sound  or  curious 
characters." 

The  Boston  Post  says :  "  It  is  a  Jjessimistic  and  sombre  story, 
but  not  without  a  strong  charm  of  human  sympathy  and  interest, 
and  relieved  by  the  ready  wit  and  a  finely  flavored  humor  that 
touches  upon  the  philosophical." 

TJie  Chicago  Figaro  says:  "  How  can  one  better  describe  a 
favorite  book  than  by  acknowledging  that  in  finishing  the  last 
chapter  one  feels  as  if  an  old  friend  were  gone  ?  It  is  this  feeling 
which  we  have  in  closing  the  covers  of  '  ^ly  Uncle  Henjamin.'  " 


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Broadoaks ... 

/I  Delighiful  Story  of  Virginian  Life 


-BY- 


M.  G.  McClelland 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  CHARLES  EDWARD  BOUTWOOD 


l:2mo,    doth,    ^I.OO 


This  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  stories  that  ever 
flowed  from  the  facile  pen  of  this  author.  As  a  story 
of  the  South — for  the  South  is  Miss  McClelland's 
favorite  locale — it  should  take  high  rank  and  with  com- 
mensurate popularity,  for  Southern  stories  have  a  charm 
all  their  own — a  charm  so  indehnable  and  elusive  that 
it  cannot  be  analyzed.  Few  authors  write  well  of  the 
South.  It  requires  an  especial  faculty  not  often  pos- 
sessed. Northern  types  and  traits  may  be  treated 
sketchily,  after  the  snapshot  system;  but  when  one 
takes  up  one's  pen  to  write  of  the  paradise  that  lies 
below  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  one  must  necessarily  be 
imbued  wilh  sympathy,  sentiment,  something  of  the 
inborn  poesy  of  nature,  else  one's  work  v>ill  be  neither 
effective,  natural,  nor  artistic.  There  is  throughout 
the  book  that  delicacy  of  touch  which  betrays  the  finer 
instinct;  that  graphic  quality  of  description  which  sug- 
gests knowledge  and  acquaintance,  and  that  occasional 
tenderness  of  treatment  which  tells  its  own  story. 
"Broadoaks"  is  a  strong  creation,  one  that  will  add 
materially  to  its  author's  already  widespread  national 
fame. 

For  sale  by  all  Booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  post-paid  on 
receipt  of  price  bv 

Zhc  flDcrriant  Company 

67    FIFTH    AVENUE  NEW    YORK 


A  Common  Mistake, 

The  Story  of  a  New 


York  Society  Girl    . 

BY 

Joanno    TVl.    Ho\a/oI1 

12mo,  Cloth,  50  Cts^ 

Sylvia  Gilchrist  is  an  epitome  of  the  undisciplined, 
brilliant,  nervous  young  womanhood  of  America.  Gifted 
with  an  exceptionally  fine  physique  and  of  bright  mind, 
she  only  knows  her  power  to  wield  it  capriciously  and 
of  her  own  sweet  will.  The  book  is  delightful,  and 
every  trunk  packed  for  seashore  or  mountain  should 
contain  a  copy. 

PRESS    NOTICES 

The  New  York  Morning  Joiirnal  says:  "This  is  a  story 
distinctly  superior  to  three-fourths  of  the  fiction  that  is  poused  in 
a  flood  upon  the  counters  of  the  booksellers." 

The  Boston  Traveller  says:  "  It  is  one  of  the  best  novels  of 
the  season." 

The  Chicago  Saturday  E7'ening  Herald  sa.ys:  "  This  novel 
is  a  decidedly  clever  piece  of  work." 

The  Grand  Rapids  Revie^v  says  :  "...  It  is  more  than  a 
fascinating  story.  It  is  a  study,  and  a  careful  study,  of  that  most 
delightful,  but  little  understood,  creature,  the  'society  girl.'  " 


For  sale  by  all  Booksellers^  or  ivill  be  sent  post-paid  on  receipt 
of  price  by 

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Date  Due 


fi^*M  }  ;  4K| 

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Form  335— 40M— 6-39— S 


813.5  H255L        410893 


